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Florida · Florida Big Bend · #765
Taylor County, Florida
On the Florida Big Bend coast where the Gulf of Mexico meets the river-fed shallows south of the Suwannee, Taylor County's Steinhatchee is Florida's scalloping capital - where the shallow grass flats produce bay scallops dense enough that summer snorkelers regularly limit out in waist-deep water, in one of Florida's last genuinely untrammeled coastal traditions.
County SeatPerry
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Office: Taylor County Sheriff’s Office – 108 North Jefferson Street, Suite 103, Perry, FL 32347 | Administrative/Records (850) 584-4225 | Jail (850) 584-4333 | Dispatch (850) 584-2429; Sheriff Wayne Padgett, elected 2016, re-elected 2020 and 2024, a Taylor County High School graduate. Public records requests: [email protected].
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. The Taylor County Historical Society’s home, the historic Bank of Perry building, sustained genuine damage during the 2024 hurricane season (Hurricanes Idalia and Helene both struck Taylor County directly), with fundraising underway for restoration.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-19/98 and US-27 serve Perry, the county seat and largest city, in Florida’s Big Bend region.
Notes: Taylor County was created December 23, 1856, from Madison County (the same day neighboring Lafayette County was also split off), named for Zachary Taylor, the 12th U.S. President. The county has genuinely carried the nickname “Tree Capital of the South” since a 1965 designation by then-Governor W. Haydon Burns, reflecting its deep timber heritage, and hosts the annual Florida Forest Festival. The historic Bank of Perry building, built in 1903, housed the First National Bank from 1909-1930, and its upper floors were used in the 1920s by the law firm of W.B. Davis and a young Claude Pepper – who went on to become a U.S. Senator and longtime member of the House of Representatives.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Taylor County Courthouse – Perry, FL, designed by architect Benjamin Bosworth Smith.
Notes: The Old Taylor County Jail (400 block N. Washington Street, Perry, built 1912, Masonry Vernacular, also by architect Benjamin Bosworth Smith; National Register of Historic Places since 1989) is genuinely the oldest surviving building in Taylor County, notable as an early reinforced-concrete jail-sheriff’s-residence combination and for its close association with John Henry Parker, the county’s longest-serving sheriff.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Taylor County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via taylorcountygov.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Taylor County Public Library (Perry) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Taylor County Historical Society, housed in the historic 1903 Bank of Perry building, maintains a museum open Thursday afternoons and has published local history booklets including the “They Were Here” series. Steinhatchee, a Gulf Coast fishing village in the county, is renowned for its scallop season and saltwater fishing.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via taylorcountygov.com.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Taylor County Property Appraiser – confirm current contact via taylorcountygov.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via taylorcountygov.com; Taylor County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Taylor County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via taylorcountygov.com.
NOTES: Taylor County is the second county completed in this Florida Round 3 v2 redo batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine “Tree Capital of the South” heritage and future Senator Claude Pepper’s early law career in Perry are among the standout local facts covered here. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Taylor County
Taylor County’s Steinhatchee River community is the destination for Florida scallop season – from July through September, the shallow grass flats offshore produce bay scallops in abundance that is increasingly rare on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The season draws recreational snorkelers from across the state who wade the flats in waist-deep water collecting the limit of 2 gallons of whole scallops per person. Perry, the county seat, is a working timber town – the Foley Products and packaging industry that has processed Taylor County timber for decades gives the city an industrial identity distinct from the tourism coast.
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
Taylor County Clerk of Circuit Court (Probate): 108 North Jefferson Street, Perry, FL 32347 | (850) 838-3506.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Taylor County Clerk and Comptroller (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Old Taylor County Jail and Old Perry Post Office, both in Perry, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Local societies
No dedicated Taylor 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
Taylor County Clerk and Comptroller, Probate Division 108 N. Jefferson Street, Suite 102, Perry, FL 32347 (850) 838-3506 Taylor County sits in Florida’s 3rd Judicial Circuit.
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):
Health & Human Services
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Florida Department of Health in Taylor County – confirm current contact via taylorcountygov.com.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Perry
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Taylor County facilities via Amazon.
