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Florida · Forgotten Coast · Florida Panhandle
Gulf County, Florida
Florida's Forgotten Coast — from Port St. Joe's St. Joseph Bay and the cape's extraordinary scalloping to Wewahitchka's Tupelo honey capital and Dead Lakes State Park, Cape San Blas's undeveloped barrier peninsula, and one of Florida's most pristine and least-known coastal counties. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Gulf County residents.
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Office: Gulf County Emergency Management – (850) 227-1277 | gulfcounty.fl.gov
Alert System: Florida FDEM; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Port St. Joe school facilities; Wewahitchka school facilities; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 4
Notes: Florida Panhandle Gulf Coast county; Port St. Joe is county seat; EXTREME hurricane risk – Hurricane Michael (October 2018 – Category 5 at landfall; Mexico Beach (Bay County, just to the east) took the direct hit but Port St. Joe and Gulf County experienced catastrophic damage from storm surge and winds; the steel mill that was being reconstructed was damaged; the county’s entire Gulf shoreline was devastated; still significantly recovering); coastal flooding; storm surge vulnerability (the entire Gulf County coastline is extremely low elevation); flooding (Apalachicola River drainage); very rural; Gulf County had been in economic distress for decades before Michael and the hurricane compounded the challenges significantly
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Gulf County Roads – (850) 227-1277
Transit: None; primarily auto-dependent
Notes: US-98 (the coastal highway through Port St. Joe – connects to Panama City east and Apalachicola west); SR-71 (north-south through Wewahitchka to I-10 via Blountstown); the county has no interstate access; Port St. Joe is a small Gulf Coast town; Apalachicola is about 30 miles west; Panama City is about 35 miles east; the St. Joseph Bay separates the mainland from Cape San Blas (a barrier peninsula rather than an island)
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Gulf County Building – (850) 227-1277
Services: County permits; Port St. Joe (separate), Wewahitchka, Cape San Blas area (unincorporated)
Notes: Post-Michael rebuilding dominates the permit landscape; Cape San Blas resort and vacation home development; limited commercial development; significant FEMA-related rebuilding programs
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Gulf County Veterans Services – (850) 227-1277
VA Medical: Bay Pines VAMC (very distant); Panama City VA CBOC accessible (30 miles east); telehealth critical
Services: Benefits claims; Panama City CBOC accessible; small rural veteran population; commercial fishing community
Notes: Panama City CBOC serves Gulf County veterans; remote county with very limited local resources; telehealth essential
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Gulf County Public Library – (850) 229-8464 | nwrls.com
Branches: Port St. Joe, Wewahitchka
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; St. Joseph Bay heritage; Hurricane Michael recovery resources; Gulf Coast heritage
Notes: Two-branch system; Hurricane Michael recovery information has been a critical library focus; Port St. Joe’s marine heritage (the “Forgotten Coast”); St. Joseph (the original city – destroyed by a hurricane in 1841 and never rebuilt; the ghost town predecessor to Port St. Joe; considered “the most wicked city in Florida” before its destruction)
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
State Parks: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park (Cape San Blas – consistently ranked among the finest beach state parks in the US; 8 miles of Gulf beach on a narrow peninsula; sugar-white quartz sand; excellent shelling; sea turtle nesting; primitive camping on the point; magnificent isolation; consistently makes “best beach” lists; accessible via CR-30A from Port St. Joe – one of Florida’s finest driving experiences along the Gulf)
Regional: St. Joseph Bay (a rare Gulf embayment with exceptional water clarity and sea grass beds; horse conchs (Florida’s state shell – one of the largest sea snails in North America; horse conchs are commonly found on Cape San Blas beaches), tulip shells, lightning whelks; the bay is one of Florida’s finest shelling locations); Cape San Blas (the narrow sand peninsula protecting the bay; the drive to the Cape takes you through some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in the Florida Panhandle; significant recovery happening after Michael); Dead Lakes State Park (Wewahitchka – a distinctive fishing lake created by the impoundment of the Chipola River by sand bars; thousands of standing dead cypress trees create an atmospheric landscape; excellent bass, bluegill, and crappie fishing; the landscape of dead cypress trunks emerging from still black water is hauntingly beautiful)
Notes: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is genuinely one of the finest beach parks in the entire United States – the peninsula’s isolation, the white quartz sand, the extraordinary water clarity of St. Joseph Bay (often rated among Florida’s clearest waters), and the shelling opportunity make it a benchmark Florida beach experience; the horse conch (Florida’s state shell) is commonly found on Cape San Blas beaches – these massive shells (up to 24 inches long) are among the most impressive natural finds on any Florida beach; Wewahitchka’s Dead Lakes has a ghostly and distinctive beauty that rewards those who discover it
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Gulf County GIS; NOAA storm surge mapping (Michael critical data); St. Joseph Bay sea grass mapping; Cape San Blas coastal erosion monitoring; FEMA flood maps; Florida DEP coastal maps
Notes: County GIS; post-Michael damage assessment and recovery tracking; St. Joseph Bay sea grass monitoring; Cape San Blas shoreline change mapping (the peninsula shifts significantly with each major storm); horse conch population mapping through FWC
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Gulf County Animal Services – (850) 227-1277; limited
Notes: Coastal county; sea turtles (loggerhead, leatherback, and Kemp’s ridley nest on Cape San Blas – Kemp’s ridley is the world’s rarest sea turtle and Gulf County is one of the few places it occasionally nests); horse conchs; shorebirds; dolphins and manatees in St. Joseph Bay; alligators; black bears; gopher tortoises
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Gulf County – (850) 227-1277; transfer station; post-Michael debris was enormous
Environmental: Florida DEP; Northwest Florida Water Management District; Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (adjacent); NPS (Gulf Islands NS); St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve (FDEP – protects the bay’s remarkable water quality and sea grass ecosystem)
Key Issues: St. Joseph Bay aquatic preserve protection (the bay’s extraordinary water clarity and sea grass beds are its defining ecological feature; the sea grass supports sea turtles, scallops, horse conchs, and the entire bay food web; development pressure from post-Michael rebuilding and resort development could affect the bay’s water quality; septic systems near the bay are a concern; the aquatic preserve designation provides some protection); hurricane Michael recovery (Gulf County has been in slow recovery from Michael; the combination of pre-existing poverty and the hurricane’s devastation created compounding challenges; infrastructure recovery, affordable housing, and economic revitalization are all significant ongoing challenges); coastal erosion (Cape San Blas is one of the most dynamically eroding coastal areas in Florida – the peninsula’s sand migrates significantly in major storms; several historic lighthouses have been moved or have fallen into the Gulf as the peninsula eroded; new construction must be carefully sited)
Notes: Gulf County’s “Forgotten Coast” identity is genuine – the combination of the most beautiful and uncrowded beaches in Florida (St. Joseph Peninsula State Park), the extraordinary St. Joseph Bay (with its crystal water and horse conchs), and the remote Apalachicola/Cape San Blas environment creates an experience that is unknown to most Florida visitors; the original city of St. Joseph (established 1830s; briefly one of Florida’s largest and most prosperous cities; destroyed in 1841 by a hurricane, a subsequent yellow fever epidemic killed most survivors, and a second hurricane completed the destruction; the ghost town is now underwater in the bay) adds a haunting historical dimension; post-Michael, Gulf County is slowly recovering but it will take many more years to fully rebuild
About Gulf County
Gulf County was among the hardest-hit communities when Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 storm in October 2018 – the strongest hurricane to hit the Florida Panhandle in recorded history caused catastrophic damage to Port St. Joe, Mexico Beach (just across the Bay County line), and the county’s timber and fishing infrastructure. The recovery has been significant but ongoing. Cape San Blas, a narrow sand spit extending into the Gulf, produces some of the most pristine and uncrowded beachfront in Florida, with water clarity that rivals the Caribbean. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is one of Florida’s finest.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Florida assesses property at just value. The homestead exemption reduces assessed value by $50,000. The Save Our Homes cap limits annual homestead increases to 3%. Florida has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Gulf County Clerk of Circuit Court (Probate): 1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Boulevard, Port St. Joe, FL 32456 | (850) 229-6112. The Clerk handles estate administration and guardianship.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS (Records, Marriage Licenses)
1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Blvd., Port St. Joe, FL 32456
(850) 229-6112
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Gulf County Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Gulf 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
Gulf County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Probate Division Gulf County Courthouse, 1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Blvd., Room 148/149, Port St. Joe, FL 32456 (850) 229-6112 / (850) 227-1141
Gulf County sits in Florida’s 14th Judicial Circuit. Circuit Judge: Hon. Paul S. Bryan. Clerk & Comptroller: Rebecca L. “Becky” Norris.
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
1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Blvd., Port St. Joe, FL 32456
(850) 229-2101
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Blvd., Port St. Joe, FL 32456
(850) 229-6121
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
FL Dept of Health — Gulf
219 Reid Ave., Port St. Joe, FL 32456
(850) 229-6174
FL DCF — Gulf
(850) 229-6150
FL Medicaid
(800) 299-4833
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf
sacred-heart.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Florida DOH in Gulf County – (850) 227-1277 | gulf.floridahealth.gov
Services: Basic; immunizations; vital records; post-Michael trauma recovery; mental health
Hospital: Port St. Joe Health Center (small); Bay Medical (Panama City, 35 miles) for hospital care; Sacred Heart (Pensacola) for Level I trauma
Notes: Very limited local healthcare; Panama City hospitals serve the county; post-Michael mental health recovery has been significant and ongoing; commercial fishing community health
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