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Florida County
Gadsden County, Florida
Quincy's tobacco wealth and the antique capital of Florida - from Quincy's extraordinary concentration of early 20th-century wealth built on shade-grown tobacco (Quincy was once one of the wealthiest small cities per capita in America, its prosperity funding magnificent homes along North Madison Street) to Havana's nationally recognized antique district (one of the Southeast's premier antique shopping destinations along a restored small-town main street), and Florida's only majority-Black county - a Panhandle community with a distinctive cultural and economic heritage unlike anywhere else in the state.
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Office: Gadsden County Emergency Management – (850) 875-8630 | gadsdencounty.net
Alert System: Florida FDEM; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Gadsden County High School; Quincy school facilities; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 4
Notes: North Florida Panhandle county adjacent to Georgia; Quincy is county seat; hurricane risk (inland but tropical storm damage significant); flooding (Ochlockonee River; Apalachicola River tributary drainage); severe thunderstorms; wildfire risk (pine flatwoods); very rural; historically one of Florida’s poorest counties; significant agricultural heritage (tobacco farming heritage – Gadsden County was once one of the world’s premier shade tobacco growing regions; the distinctive tobacco curing barns are a landscape feature); significant African American heritage; Florida A&M University is across the county line in Tallahassee (close influence)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Gadsden County Public Works – (850) 875-8630
Transit: Very limited; primarily auto-dependent; Tallahassee is adjacent
Notes: US-90 (through Quincy – the historic route westward from Tallahassee); SR-12 (north to Georgia); I-10 (south portion of county – accessible via US-90); Gadsden County is immediately west of Tallahassee (about 20 miles from the capital); Quincy is accessible via US-90 which predates I-10 as the primary Panhandle route; this proximity to Tallahassee provides access to state capital services and employment while maintaining a rural character
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Gadsden County Building – (850) 875-8630
Services: County permits; Quincy (separate), Midway, Greensboro, Havana, Chattahoochee separate
Notes: Very limited development; agricultural structures; some Tallahassee suburban residential development in eastern Gadsden County (Midway area); limited commercial activity; Chattahoochee (Florida State Hospital – significant institutional presence)
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Gadsden County Veterans Services – (850) 875-8630
VA Medical: Tallahassee VA CBOC (Leon County – about 20 miles east; (850) 878-0191); accessible
Services: Benefits claims; Tallahassee CBOC very accessible; small veteran population
Notes: Tallahassee CBOC proximity makes VA outpatient care accessible; proximity to Florida State University and FAMU creates some veteran student services; small rural veteran community
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Gadsden County Public Library – (850) 627-7106 | nls.lib.fl.us
Branches: Quincy, Havana
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Gadsden County tobacco heritage; African American cultural heritage; Florida Panhandle history
Notes: Two-branch system; the Quincy branch is the primary library; Gadsden County’s tobacco heritage (the shade-grown cigar wrapper tobacco once grown here was among the finest in the world; the wealthy “shade tobacco kings” of Quincy built the Victorian mansions that still line the streets) is a unique local heritage topic; Havana (a town that became an antique shopping destination) has a branch
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
State Parks: Lake Talquin State Park (Gadsden/Leon County border – excellent fishing; boat launches; picnicking; striped bass and crappie fishing in Lake Talquin is very popular); Apalachicola National Forest (southern portions of Gadsden County abut the forest – extensive recreation)
Regional: Havana (a small town transformed into an “antique shopping destination” with galleries and shops; adjacent to Quincy; one of Florida’s smaller but charming shopping towns); Quincy’s historic downtown (the Victorian mansions of the “shade tobacco kings” – Quincy once had the highest concentration of millionaires per capita in Florida because of the shade tobacco industry; the mansions are beautiful and historically significant; several residents became millionaires buying Coca-Cola stock in the 1920s – the story of Pat Munroe and others who invested heavily in Coca-Cola before it became a global brand is a Quincy legend; the town has a disproportionate concentration of Coca-Cola millionaires’ homes); Chattahoochee (the Apalachicola River; Jim Woodruff Dam and Lake Seminole on the Florida-Georgia-Alabama border)
Notes: Quincy’s dual claim to fame – shade tobacco wealth and Coca-Cola millionaires – makes it historically distinctive; in the 1920s-30s, a Quincy banker named Pat Munroe recognized Coca-Cola as an extraordinary investment and encouraged dozens of local residents to invest; by the time the early investors died (many having held their stock for decades as Coca-Cola became the world’s dominant beverage), Quincy had an unusual concentration of Coca-Cola wealth; Havana’s antique district (a small Florida town that reinvented itself as a shopping destination) has attracted visitors; the shade tobacco barns that dot the Gadsden County landscape (long, wood-slat ventilated drying barns) are a unique cultural landscape
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Gadsden County GIS; Florida DEP; NWFL Water Management District; Apalachicola River maps; Lake Talquin maps
Notes: Limited county GIS; Apalachicola River watershed mapping; Lake Talquin fishing area maps; agricultural land use maps (tobacco field remnants)
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Gadsden County Animal Services – (850) 875-8630; limited
Notes: Agricultural county; cattle; Florida black bears; gopher tortoises; white-tailed deer; wild turkey; Apalachicola River wildlife
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Gadsden County Solid Waste – (850) 875-8630; transfer station
Environmental: Florida DEP; Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (downstream); Northwest Florida Water Management District; USFS (Apalachicola NF); ACF river compact impacts
Notes: Gadsden County’s agricultural heritage (tobacco, shade tobacco) has left some legacy soil contamination from pesticide and fungicide use; the tobacco industry’s decline created economic disruption; the Apalachicola River flowing through the southwestern county is part of the larger ACF basin water management issues; Apalachicola National Forest management for prescribed burning is active; the rural character and limited development mean relatively modest environmental management demands
About Gadsden County
Gadsden County is one of Florida’s most historically distinctive counties – a Panhandle tobacco community with an extraordinary wealth history, a majority-Black population unique among Florida’s 67 counties, and a small-town antique destination that draws buyers from across the Southeast.
Quincy (the county seat, population ~8,000) was once one of the wealthiest small cities per capita in the United States. In the early 20th century, a local banker named Pat Munroe convinced his depositors to buy Coca-Cola stock – reportedly purchasing shares for $40 each that eventually became worth millions. Combined with the shade-grown tobacco industry, this created a concentration of wealth reflected in the magnificent homes along North Madison Street, many of which survive today.
Havana (population ~2,000) – just north of Tallahassee – has been transformed into one of Florida’s most significant antique markets. The small downtown’s former tobacco warehouses and storefronts now house dozens of antique dealers, drawing serious collectors from throughout the Southeast.
Gadsden County is Florida’s only majority-Black county, a demographic pattern rooted in its agricultural history and the sharecropping-era tobacco economy.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
The Gadsden County Property Appraiser at 31 N. Calhoun Street, Quincy, FL 32351, phone 850-627-7168, assesses at just value. No FL estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Gadsden County Clerk of Court at 10 E. Jefferson Street, Quincy, FL 32351, phone 850-875-8601, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS (Records, Marriage Licenses)
10 E. Jefferson St., Quincy, FL 32351
(850) 875-8601
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Gadsden County Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Gadsden County Public Library System – William A. “Bill” McGill Public Library (main, Quincy), Cowen Public Library (Chattahoochee), and Havana Public Library, plus a countywide bookmobile.
Local societies
No dedicated Gadsden County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Gadsden County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Probate Division 10 E. Jefferson Street, Room 108, Quincy, FL 32351 (850) 875-8601 ext. 224
Gadsden County sits in Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit. Probate Judge: Hon. Monica J. Brasington. Clerk & Comptroller: Nicholas D. Thomas.
Gadsden County is Florida’s only majority African-American county, part of the Black Belt region of the Deep South, and sits within the Tallahassee metropolitan area.
IMPORTANT – a major statewide law change just took effect: Florida’s summary administration threshold DOUBLED from $75,000 to $150,000 effective July 1, 2026, under CS/HB 1337 (Chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida). Confirm which threshold applies based on date of death when helping someone (see
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
339 E. Jefferson St., Quincy, FL 32351
(850) 627-9233
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
10 E. Jefferson St., Quincy, FL 32351
(850) 875-8641
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
FL Dept of Health — Gadsden
253 W. Jefferson St., Quincy, FL 32351
(850) 875-7200
FL DCF — Gadsden
(850) 875-8700
FL Medicaid
(800) 299-4833
Gadsden Community Hospital
gadsdencommunity.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Florida DOH in Gadsden County – (850) 875-7200 | gadsden.floridahealth.gov
Services: Immunizations, WIC, STI testing, environmental health, vital records; behavioral health; agricultural worker health; Florida State Hospital health coordination
Hospital: Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (accessible – 20 miles east); Florida State Hospital (Chattahoochee – state psychiatric hospital; residential behavioral health); no local acute care hospital in county
Notes: No local acute care hospital; Tallahassee Memorial and Capital Regional Medical Center (Tallahassee) provide accessible care; Florida State Hospital (Chattahoochee) is one of Florida’s two state psychiatric institutions; behavioral health in a rural, impoverished community; the tobacco farming economic decline has impacted community health and economics
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Quincy
Population: 46,000
Area: 516 sq mi
Established: 1823
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Gadsden County residents.
