Osceola County, Florida
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Osceola County ( ) is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the central portion of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 388,656. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Kissimmee. Osceola County is included in the OrlandoKissimmeeSanford, Fla. Metropolitan Statistical Area. Being 54.3% Hispanic, Osceola is one of three Hispanic-majority counties in Florida, owing to its large Puerto Rican American population. It also is the 12th-largest majority-Hispanic county in the nation.


Etymology

Osceola County is named for the Native American leader
Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Vsse Yvholv in Muscogee language, Creek, also spelled Asi-yahola), named Billy Powell at birth, was an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfa ...
, whose name means "Black Drink Cry si Yaholo.


History

Osceola County was created in 1887. On July 21, 1821, Florida was divided into two counties, named Escambia County to the west and St. John's County to the east. In 1824, the southern part of St. John's County became Mosquito County, with
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
as the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
. In 1844, Brevard County was carved out from Mosquito County. When Florida became a state in 1845, Mosquito County was renamed Orange County. On May 12, 1887, Osceola was named a county, having been created from both Orange and Brevard Counties. Osceola County reached all the way down to
Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee ( ) is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the List of largest lakes of the United States by area, eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest ...
until 1917 when Okeechobee County was formed. Since the late 20th century, Osceola County has experienced a significant influx of migrants from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the unincorporated territory of the United States, and in the 2000 U.S. Census Puerto Rican was the largest self-reported ancestry group.


Government

Osceola County is a charter county, and a subdivision within the State of Florida. Voters approved the County Charter in March 1992, and it took effect on October 1, 1992. The structure of County government under the charter does not depart dramatically from the structure of a County government outlined in the Florida Statutes. Osceola County Government is governed by three sets of elected
official An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...
s, each of which independently directs separate branches of County Government. These include: the five-member County Commission, five separate Constitutional Officers, and a number of Judicial Officers. Under State law, the County Commission is responsible for funding the budgets of all Osceola County Government, including the independently elected Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers, as well as the Commission's own departments. Each independent officer has discretion to administer his or her own programs. The County Commission exercises oversight only over its own departments. Osceola County has five electoral districts each represented by a commissioner. All the commissioners compose the Board of Commissioners that appoint a County Manager. There also is a Commission Auditor and County Attorney.


Legislature

;Board of County Commissioners * District 1 – Peggy Choudhry ( D) * District 2 – Viviana Janer (D) * District 3 – Brandon Arrington (D) * District 4 – Cheryl Grieb (D) * District 5 – Ricky Booth ( R)


Executive

* County Manager – Don Fisher * Deputy County Manager - Beth Knight * Assistant County Manager - Donna Renberg * County Attorney - Frank Townsend


Constitutional officers

*
Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
– Christopher Blackmon (interim) * Property Appraiser – Katrina Scarborough (D) *
Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...
of the
Circuit Court Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...
& County Comptroller – Kelvin Soto (D) * Supervisor of Elections – Mary Jane Arrington (D) *
Tax Collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations on behalf of a government. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns or work for a revenue agency. Tax collec ...
– Bruce Vickers (D) *
Public Defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Belgium, Hungary and Si ...
– Bob Wesley * State AttorneyMonique Worrell (D) Osceola County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections from about 1950 up until 1996, when
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
carried Florida with a plurality. It swung back to support
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
in 2004, but then heavily supported Democrat
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
in 2008, and up until 2024 it had supported Democrats by large margins. In 2024 the county swung back to support Republican
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, mirroring trends seen in the rest of the state of Florida.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (11.9%) is water.


Adjacent counties

* Orange County – north * Brevard County – northeast * Indian River County – east * Okeechobee County – southeast * Highlands County – south * Polk County – west * Lake County – northwest


Transportation


Rail

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
's A-line, formerly the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...
mainline, and originally built by the
South Florida Railroad The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's ma ...
in the 1880s, runs through the urbanized northern part of the county. CSX has leased the line to the
FDOT The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the U.S. state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the power ...
. Intercity passenger service is provided by Amtrak at Kissimmee station and commuter passenger service is operated by SunRail, with stops at Kissimmee and Poinciana.


Airports

* Kissimmee Gateway Airport


Major highways

*
Interstate 4 Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning along a generally southwest–northeast axis ...
*
Florida's Turnpike Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned highway, unsigned State Road 91 (SR 91), is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximate ...
* State Road 417 * State Road 429 * Osceola Parkway * US 441 * / US 17/92 ( Orange Blossom Trail) * US 192 * CR 15 * SR 60 * John Young Parkway


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 388,656 people, 109,642 households, and 81,168 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 162,661 housing units at an average density of . The majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the county are Puerto Ricans, who account for an estimated 33.7% of the population and are the largest ancestral group in the county. 38.2% of the county population is affiliated with a religious congregation. There are 206 or more religious congregations in the county. 16.5% are
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
; 1.3% are
Mormons Mormons are a Religious denomination, religious and ethnocultural group, cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's d ...
; 3.5% are
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
, 3.7% are
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
, 1.4% are
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
, 8.3% are members of other
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
faiths, 0.1% are
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, 0.2% affiliate with an eastern faith, and 3.2% affiliate with
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. There were 111,539 households, 57% were married couples living together, 23% had a female householder with no spouse present, 7% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 13% were non-families. The average household size was 3.4 persons per household. In the county, the population was spread out, with 12% being 0 to 9 years old, 15% 10 to 19, 14% 20 to 29, 15% from 30 to 39, 13% from 40 to 49, 11% 50 to 59, and 19% who were 60 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $52,279. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $22,196. About 13.4% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.


Education

The School District of Osceola County, Florida serves the county. The county is home to 59 schools, not including colleges.


Colleges

*
Johnson University Florida Johnson University Florida was a Private university, private Christian university in Kissimmee, Florida. It was part of the Johnson University system with its main campus outside Knoxville, Tennessee, and an online campus. It was affiliated wit ...
* Florida Technical College * Heritage University & Seminary *
Stetson University Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida, United States. Established in 1883 as DeLand Academy, it was later renamed John B. Stetson University in honor of John B. Stetson. The university's main campus in DeLand spans 175 ...
* Valencia College - Osceola Campus & Poinciana Campus


Libraries

There are currently six branches of the Osceola County Library System: * Buenaventura Lakes Library - Kissimmee, FL * Hart Memorial Library - Kissimmee, FL * Kenansville Library - Kenansville, FL * Poinciana Library - Kissimmee, FL * St. Cloud Veterans Memorial Library - St. Cloud, FL * West Osceola Library - Celebration, FL The Hart Memorial Library is home to the Ray Shanks Law Library, and TechCentral the library system's "creative space".


History

Until 1989, there was no independent Osceola Library System. Instead, Osceola patrons were taken care of by Orange County Library System. Before that, there were two libraries, which are still named after the original independent libraries, run by women's organizations: Veteran's Memorial in Saint Cloud and Hart Memorial Library in Kissimmee. In 1910, land for the Hart Memorial Library was donated by a widow of a former Florida Governor, Carrie S. Hart. It was located on North Stewart Avenue in Kissimmee . In 1914, women pooled money together from themselves and other community members to build the actual building and Annie Palmer Fell, another widow of a prominent Florida man, donated furnishings and books from her personal collection to begin building inventory in the new library. In 1968, the location moved to a 4,000 square foot building on Broadway and Dakin. Hart Memorial Library is the Osceola headquarters and is now located in a 43,000 square building . Veteran's Memorial Library was at first a reading room until enough funds were raised to build the first official location on Massachusetts Avenue in Saint Cloud. In the early 70's the location moved to a former SunBank location on 10th Street and New York Avenue. In 1995, this branch moved for its final time to a larger building on Indiana Avenue and 13th street where it is still located today. The first Poinciana Branch was opened in 1988. It was a modular building and consisted of a 14,000 book collection. This branch was eventually moved into a larger location with a collection of 40,000 books and computer access for patrons. Osceola Library Systems began as an independent organization on April 1, 1989. In 1990, the Buenaventura Library opened. In 1991, volunteers helped open the Kenansville Branch Library in a shared space with the old Kenansville school. During the 2004 hurricanes, the collection was a total loss. It was rebuilt in 2007 with a larger collection, including books, DVDs, and computer/wifi access.


Communities


Cities

* Kissimmee * St. Cloud


Census-designated places

* Buenaventura Lakes * Campbell * Celebration *
Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...
* Poinciana * Yeehaw Junction


Other unincorporated communities

* Bull Creek * Deer Park *
Harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
* Holopaw * Kenansville * Narcoossee * Whittier – the hamlet along Harvey Road especially near its intersection with Whitman Road; Zip Code: 34739. * Intercession City


Planned development

Back in 2009, there were plans to create a new city named
Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
near the intersection of the Florida Turnpike and US 441. The project was halted by The
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
Department of Community Affairs after concerns that there would be mass
urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...
. The area is now a reserve named after the city's planner, Fred DeLuca. If finished, the city would've had an expected population of 250,000.


Special districts

* Central Florida Tourism Oversight District * Crescent Lake Common Facilities District


Former communities

* Apoxsee * Illahaw * Kicco * Locosee * Nittaw * Runnymede * Tohopkee


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Osceola County, Florida __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Osceola County, Florida. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Osceola County, Fl ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau

Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce

Florida Association of Counties (FAC)


Government links/Constitutional offices


Osceola County Charter

Osceola County Government / Board of County Commissioners

Osceola County Supervisor of Elections

Osceola County Property Appraiser

Osceola County Sheriff's Office

Osceola County Tax Collector
* Kissimmee Utility Authority (local power and Internet provider)


History


Osceola County Collection on RICHES Mosaic Interface
{{Coord, 28.06, -81.15, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-FL_source:UScensus1990 Florida placenames of Native American origin Charter counties in Florida 1887 establishments in Florida Counties in Greater Orlando Populated places established in 1887 Hispanic and Latino American culture in Florida