Santa Rosa 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 northwestern 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 2020, the population was 188,000. 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 ...
is
Milton, which lies in the geographic center of the county. Other major communities within Santa Rosa County are
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
,
Pace, and
Gulf Breeze.
Navarre is the most populated community with a population of approximately 45,000 residents. Santa Rosa County is included in the
Pensacola
Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...
—
Ferry Pass—
Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes
Escambia County.
History
The first European in Santa Rosa County Florida may have been Diego Maldonado, a member of
Tristan de Luna's failed expedition. Natives dominated the area until the late 1700s. A
Spanish mission serving
Apalachee
The Apalachee were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, specifically an Indigenous people of Florida, who lived in the Florida Panhandle until the early 18th century. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River,Bobby ...
s, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad y San Luís, may have been located in
Floridatown from 1718 until 1740.
Santa Rosa County was created in 1842, when it was divided from
Escambia County. It was named after the barrier island along its southern coast, which in turn had been named for the Roman Catholic saint,
Rosa de Viterbo.
Santa Rosa County repealed its prohibition on alcohol in 2005.
Santa Rosa County has seen unprecedented growth in population, specifically in the communities of
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
,
Pace, and
Gulf Breeze. The county is a quickly growing tourist destination because of its access to beaches and protected wilderness areas for kayaking, hiking, and camping.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (13.8%) is water.
National protected area
*
Choctawhatchee National Forest (part)
Regions
Santa Rosa County can be divided into three distinct sections: South Santa Rosa, Central Santa Rosa, and North Santa Rosa. The sections are centered on the main east–west roads that pass through the county.

South Santa Rosa County comprises the area from Holley and
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
in the east to
Gulf Breeze at the western end of the
Fairpoint Peninsula, and along
U.S. Highway 98. A section of
Santa Rosa Island, containing the unincorporated community of
Navarre Beach, is also part of South Santa Rosa County. Major bodies of water including
Santa Rosa Sound,
Pensacola Bay and
East Bay
The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...
strongly influence the housing and life style of citizens in the southern part of the county. This fast-growing region serves primarily as "bedroom communities" for
Pensacola
Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...
to the west and
Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force S ...
,
Fort Walton Beach, and
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...
to the east.
Central Santa Rosa County is the area north of the bays and south of the extensive forests separating it from North Santa Rosa. The central section developed along the so-called
Old Spanish Trail that ran from
St. Augustine to
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, and further points west. Today,
U.S. Highway 90
U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. It generally travels near Int ...
closely parallels the old trail, and is the main highway that connects the region. Despite recent growth, the Central Region is best identified by its rural roots, and can be best characterized by traditional
Southern culture. The
Pace and
Milton communities compose the Central Region, with both having populations roughly around 30,000.
The county seat,
Milton is located where the trail crossed the
Blackwater River
A blackwater river is a type of River#Classification, river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial ...
. To the west of Milton bordering the Escambia River,
Pace has experienced exponential growth both residential and commercial.
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...
also passes through this section of the county. The
U.S. Navy presence is marked by
Whiting Field and
NOLF Spencer Field.
Northern Santa Rosa County is forest and farming country. The only town in the north is
Jay. Most development has been along
State Road 4 which runs through the northern sections of
Escambia, Santa Rosa, and
Okaloosa counties. A large oil and natural gas field around Jay produced a great deal of oil, and made many farmers millionaires in the 1970s and 1980s, but the field has been depleted and is producing little oil today. The citizens have, for the most part, returned to farming and forestry for their livelihoods.
State Road 87 traverses the county from north to south, between U.S. Highway 98 and the border with
Escambia County, Alabama
Escambia County is a County (United States), county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 36,757. Its county seat is Brewton, Alabama, Brewton.
...
near
Brewton, where it connects with
State Route 41. This road is a primary
emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is an immediate egress or escape of people away from an area that contains an imminent threat, an ongoing threat or a hazard to lives or property.
Examples range from the small-scale evacuation of a building due to a storm ...
route for the county during
hurricanes
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
.
Adjacent counties
*
Escambia County, Alabama
Escambia County is a County (United States), county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 36,757. Its county seat is Brewton, Alabama, Brewton.
...
- north
*
Okaloosa County, Florida - east
*
Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County is the westernmost and oldest County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 321,905. The county seat and largest city is Pensacola, Florida, Pe ...
- west
Government
Board of County Commissioners
The Board of County Commissioners serves as the legislative and policy setting body of Santa Rosa County as established under Section 125 of the Florida Statutes. As such, the board enacts all legislation and authorizes programs and expenditures within the county. The board appoints a professionally trained county administrator who is responsible for policy and budget development and implementation.
The board comprises five members, elected countywide. Members must reside within the particular districts for which they seek election. Each year the board organizes itself, selecting a chair and vice-chair from among its members to preside at commission meetings.
The commission meets in regular session beginning at 9:00 a.m. the second and fourth Thursday of the month in the Commissioner's Board Room in the Administrative Center, 6495 Caroline Street, in
Milton. Called meetings and workshops are scheduled periodically and are advertised and open to the public.
County officials
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 188,000 people, 65,697 households, and 47,876 families residing in the county.
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 117,743 people, 43,793 households, and 33,326 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 49,119 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.72%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 4.25%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.01%
Native American, 1.30%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.67% from
other races, and 1.98% from two or more races. 2.52% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race.
There were 43,793 households, out of which 36.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.90% were non-families. 19.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,881, and the median income for a family was $46,929. Males had a median income of $34,878 versus $22,304 for females. 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 $20,089. About 7.90% of families and 9.80% 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 12.60% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.
Libraries
The Santa Rosa County Library System has five branches located in the following communities:
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
,
Gulf Breeze, Jay, Milton, and Pace.
Communities
The largest communities are Navarre and Pace.
Cities
*
Gulf Breeze
*
Milton
Town
*
Jay
Census-designated places
*
Allentown Allentown may refer to:
Places
* Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
* Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia
* Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County
* Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...
*
Avalon
*
Bagdad
*
Berrydale
*
Brownsdale
*
Chumuckla
*
Cobbtown
*
Dickerson City
*
Dixonville
*
East Milton
*
Fidelis
*
Floridatown
*
Garcon Point
*
Harold
*
Holley
*
Midway
*
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...
*
Mulat
*
Munson
*
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
*
Navarre Beach
*
Oriole Beach
*
Pace
*
Pea Ridge
*
Pine Level
*
Springhill
*
Tiger Point
*
Wallace
*
Whitfield
*
Woodlawn Beach
Ghost Towns
* Coon Hill
* Floridale
Politics
Santa Rosa County is a stronghold of the
Republican Party. It has supported the Republican candidate in each presidential election since
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
, consistently by overwhelming margins.
Transportation
Airports
*
Fort Walton Beach Airport
*
Peter Prince Field
Highways
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Rosa County, Florida
Notes
References
External links
Newspapers
Print:
*
South Santa Rosa News'
*
Gulf Breeze News'
*
Northwest Florida Daily News' (Fort Walton Beach)
*
Pensacola News Journal'
*
Milton Press Gazette' aka the ''Santa Rosa Press Gazette''; available in full-text with images in th
Florida Digital Newspaper Library*
Navarre Press'
Digital only:
*
Navarre Newspaper'
*
EscaRosa Press'
*
Milton Chronicle' - online newsletter, defunct since 2015
Government links/constitutional offices
Santa Rosa County WebsiteSanta Rosa County Board of County Commissioners
Santa Rosa County Property AppraiserSanta Rosa County Sheriff's OfficeSanta Rosa County Tax CollectorSanta Rosa Economic Development OfficeSanta Rosa County GIS Mapping System
Special districts
Santa Rosa County School DistrictNorthwest Florida Water Management District
Judicial branch
Santa Rosa County Clerk of Courts Public Defender, 1st Judicial Circuit of Floridaserving
Escambia, Santa Rosa,
Okaloosa, and
Walton counties
Office of the State Attorney, 1st Judicial Circuit of Florida Circuit and County Court for the 1st Judicial Circuit of Florida
Tourism links
Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce
Community and civic organizations
Junior League of PensacolaUnited Way of Santa Rosa County
Hospitals
Santa Rosa Medical CenterHospital and Emergency Room located in Milton, Florida
{{authority control
Florida counties
1842 establishments in Florida Territory
Populated places established in 1842
Pensacola metropolitan area
North Florida