Osceola County
County
The Osceola County Courthouse in October 2009
The Osceola County Courthouse in October 2009
Flag of Osceola County
Flag
Official seal of Osceola County
Seal
Official logo of Osceola County
Logo
Map of Florida highlighting Osceola County
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 28°04′N 81°09′W / 28.06°N 81.15°W / 28.06; -81.15
Country United States
State Florida
FoundedMay 12, 1887
Named forOsceola
SeatKissimmee
Largest cityKissimmee
Government
 • ChairViviana Janer
Area
 • Total1,506 sq mi (3,900 km2)
 • Land1,327 sq mi (3,440 km2)
 • Water178 sq mi (460 km2)  11.9%
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total388,656
 • Density293/sq mi (113.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district9th
Websitewww.osceola.org

Osceola County (/ˌɒsiˈoʊlə/ AH-see-OH-lə) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 388,656.[1] Its county seat is Kissimmee.[2] Osceola County is included in the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, 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.[3]

Etymology

Osceola County is named for the Native american leader Osceola,[4] whose name means "Black Drink Cry [Asi 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 as the county seat. 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 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,[5] and in the 2000 U.S. Census Puerto Rican was the largest self-reported ancestry group.[6]

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 officials, 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
  • Commission Auditor - Chijioke Horace Nwachukwu
  • County Attorney - Frank Townsend

Constitutional officers

  • Sheriff – Marco Lopez (D)
  • Property Appraiser – Katrina Scarborough (D)
  • Clerk of the Circuit Court & County Comptroller – Kelvin Soto, Esq. (D)
  • Supervisor of Elections – Mary Jane Arrington (D)
  • Tax Collector – Bruce Vickers (D)
  • Public Defender – Bob Wesley
  • State Attorney – Monique Worrell


United States presidential election results for Osceola County, Florida[7]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 73,480 42.53% 97,297 56.31% 2,007 1.16%
2016 50,301 35.56% 85,458 60.41% 5,709 4.04%
2012 40,592 37.27% 67,239 61.73% 1,091 1.00%
2008 40,086 39.72% 59,962 59.41% 877 0.87%
2004 43,117 52.45% 38,633 47.00% 454 0.55%
2000 26,237 47.11% 28,187 50.61% 1,266 2.27%
1996 18,337 39.44% 21,874 47.05% 6,280 13.51%
1992 19,143 42.29% 15,010 33.16% 11,114 24.55%
1988 21,355 68.05% 9,812 31.27% 214 0.68%
1984 18,348 73.45% 6,628 26.53% 4 0.02%
1980 10,863 59.67% 6,603 36.27% 739 4.06%
1976 7,062 49.82% 6,893 48.63% 220 1.55%
1972 9,320 82.94% 1,875 16.69% 42 0.37%
1968 4,172 43.90% 1,870 19.68% 3,462 36.43%
1964 4,516 56.12% 3,531 43.88% 0 0.00%
1960 4,691 68.29% 2,178 31.71% 0 0.00%
1956 3,602 65.19% 1,923 34.81% 0 0.00%
1952 3,133 62.25% 1,900 37.75% 0 0.00%
1948 1,575 44.59% 1,577 44.65% 380 10.76%
1944 1,400 44.26% 1,763 55.74% 0 0.00%
1940 1,428 41.48% 2,015 58.52% 0 0.00%
1936 1,101 40.43% 1,622 59.57% 0 0.00%
1932 906 35.36% 1,656 64.64% 0 0.00%
1928 1,760 60.25% 1,127 38.58% 34 1.16%
1924 589 33.45% 884 50.20% 288 16.35%
1920 1,035 55.32% 728 38.91% 108 5.77%
1916 453 38.98% 511 43.98% 198 17.04%
1912 110 12.37% 512 57.59% 267 30.03%
1908 81 24.11% 193 57.44% 62 18.45%
1904 65 18.41% 271 76.77% 17 4.82%
1900 42 11.29% 266 71.51% 64 17.20%
1896 118 28.78% 274 66.83% 18 4.39%
1892 0 0.00% 259 94.18% 16 5.82%

Geography

Lake Tohopekaliga, the largest lake in Osceola County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,506 square miles (3,900 km2), of which 1,327 square miles (3,440 km2) is land and 178 square miles (460 km2) (11.9%) is water.[8]

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Rail

SunRail commuter train at Kissimmee Station

CSX's A-line, formerly the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad mainline, and originally built by the South Florida Railroad in the 1880s, runs through the urbanized northern part of the county. CSX has leased the line to the FDOT. 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

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18903,133—
19003,4449.9%
19105,50759.9%
19207,19530.7%
193010,69948.7%
194010,119−5.4%
195011,40612.7%
196019,02966.8%
197025,26732.8%
198049,28795.1%
1990107,728[9]118.6%
2000172,493[9]60.1%
2010268,685[1]55.8%
2020388,65644.7%
2022 (est.)422,545[10]8.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
Osceola County racial composition as of 2020
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[lower-alpha 1]
Race Pop 2010[16] Pop 2020[17] % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 108,292 113,362 40.3% 29.17%
Black or African American (NH) 24,503 35,145 9.12% 9.04%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 596 562 0.22% 0.14%
Asian (NH) 7,120 11,370 2.65% 2.93%
Pacific Islander (NH) 229 240 0.09% 0.06%
Some Other Race (NH) 1,393 4,218 0.52% 1.09%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 4,406 12,670 1.64% 3.26%
Hispanic or Latino 122,146 211,089 45.46% 54.31%
Total 268,685 388,656

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 292 inhabitants per square mile (113/km2). There were 162,661 housing units at an average density of 122 per square mile (47/km2). 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.[18]

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; 1.3% are Mormons; 3.5% are Baptist, 3.7% are Pentecostal, 1.4% are Methodist, 8.3% are members of other Christian faiths, 0.1% are Jewish, 0.2% affiliate with an eastern faith, and 3.2% affiliate with Islam.

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 for the county was $22,196. About 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, 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 47 schools, not including colleges.[19]

Colleges

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".[20]

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.[21][22]

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Planned development

Currently, a new suburb is planned in Osceola County called Destiny. If completely built, it would house up to 240,000 residents.

Special districts

Former communities

  • Apoxsee
  • Illahaw
  • Kicco
  • Locosee
  • Nittaw
  • Runnymede
  • Tohopkee

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[14][15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE". 2020 Census. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  4. ↑ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 33.
  5. ↑ Rohter, Larry (January 31, 1994). "A Puerto Rican Boom for Florida". New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  6. ↑ Image:Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.jpg
  7. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  8. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  10. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2022". County Population Totals: 2020-2022. U.S. Census Bureau. March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  14. ↑ https://www.census.gov/
  15. ↑ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Orlando Sentinel website". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  19. ↑ "District Facts/Stats - School District of Osceola County". Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Locations & Hours | Osceola Library System". www.osceolalibrary.org. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  21. ↑ "About Us | Osceola Library System". www.osceolalibrary.org. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  22. ↑ "St. Cloud Heritage Museum". St. Cloud Heritage Museum, St. Cloud, FL. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  23. ↑ Hometown Locator: Whittier, Florida, accessed October 2018.
  24. ↑ "Crescent Lakes Common Facilities District". www.osceola.org. Osceola County Government. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
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