Florida Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Florida ranks 12th among states and provinces with markers in this database. Florida is a state in the United States of America located in the American South. It is also in the South Atlantic region. Florida is some 66 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 21.5 million people. The state is divided into 67 counties and 68 of them have entries in this database. In Florida we have discovered historical markers in 419 cities and towns lying in 510 different ZIP Codes.

How many historical markers are there in Florida? There are least 2,953 of them, by our count. We have cataloged 2,943 historical markers and 249 war memorials—each individually presented on 3,111 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. Pages for historical markers from this state make up 2.3% of our total. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another ten historical markers in Florida that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

The first Florida marker in the database, Asa Philip Randolph, was added April 27, 2007. It was photographed in Crescent City in Putnam County and was erected in 2005. The last one added was submitted on February 24, 2020, and titled Lake County Courthouse. It is in Tavares in Lake County. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Florida was erected in 1866. It was this one: Navy Club of Key West Monument, and one of our correspondents found it in Key West in Monroe County on July 12, 2015.

Floridians don’t want to forget their Settlements and Settlers history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Florida about Settlements and Settlers—642 of them—than about any other historical category. It is followed by Industry and Commerce with 373 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Settlements and Settlers category was The Desert Inn, added November 1, 2007. It had been erected in 1996 in Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County. The last one submitted was submitted on February 16, 2020, and titled Edgewood. It had been erected in 1999 in Venice in Sarasota County. The earliest marker erected with the Settlements and Settlers category that we have listed was erected in 1924. It is Ribault Monument, found in Jacksonville in Duval County on August 27, 2011.

What is the most interesting historical marker in Florida? What we know is that Rosewood, Florida is the most viewed entry in the database from Florida since it was added in 2009. It is located in Rosewood in Levy County. This year so far, the most viewed Floridian entry is located in Palm Coast in Flagler County. It is Palm Coast, Florida.

The Florida county with the most historical markers listed in this database is St. Johns County, with 316 of them. It is followed by Volusia County with 252 markers. The St. Augustine area of St. Johns County has the highest number of markers within its limits, 298. In Volusia County the area with the most markers, 125, is Daytona Beach.

Checking the database for the city or town in Florida with the most markers we again find St. Augustine at the top of the list with 298 markers in or near it. It is followed by Tampa in Hillsborough County with 182 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 32084 at the top of the list with 268 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 32084 is assigned to Saint Augustine FL including the Saint Augustine Beach delivery area.) It is followed by ZIP Code 33602 with 73 markers. (33602 is assigned to Tampa FL.)

Getting back to St. Johns County, the first marker added to the database from there, The Great Cross, was added January 9, 2008. in St. Augustine. The last one submitted was uploaded on January 4, 2020, and is titled Address by President Lincoln, in St. Augustine. The earliest marker erected in St. Johns County that we have listed was erected in 1872. It was St. Augustine Confederate Memorial, found in St. Augustine on September 3, 2011.

By Cosmos Mariner, February 24, 2020

Latest Entry from Florida
“Lake County Courthouse”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Tampa. The first: Union Raiders Burn Tampa Blockade Runners, was added December 16, 2007. It had been erected in 1990. The last: Benjamin Field/George N. Benjamin b 1859 d 1926 added on June 30, 2019. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1911: Hillsborough County's Confederate Monument, added on January 12, 2010.

The Florida Division of Historical Resources is currently in charge of the familiar dark blue and white and the older green and gold official historical markers found all over the state. You will also find official markers erected by the Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials, a predecessor. We have 720 of their markers in the database. Also, a number of counties have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some cities and towns.

By Tim Fillmon, December 24, 2016

A Florida Division of Historical Resources Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Florida have been marked with history. Check out Bradford County, Lafayette County and Liberty County. We've only found, respectively, 2, 2, and 1 historical markers there. Visiting one or more of these parts of Florida might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!