Franklin

Formed February 8, 1832 (17^th county)

Franklin County (12,452), Apalachicola (2,331), Carrabelle (2,611)

A governmental appearance bests describes the tan brick and concrete courthouse.  The courthouse is located on Market Street at Leslie Street.  Market Street is United States Highway 98.  This structure was built in 1940 in Art Deco and Roman style.  Warren, Knight, and Davis are the architects.  The building was remodeled with an addition in 1969 and 1978 and renovated in 2008.  The structure has columns and overlooks the bay.  There was an 1892 courthouse in Apalachicola.  St. Joseph (1832) and Apalachicola (1833) have both served as county seat.  Franklin County is named for statesman Benjamin Franklin.  Apalachicola is Native American for “people on the other side.”  The county was created on February 8, 1832 from parts of Gadsden and Washington counties as the 17^th county. 

Franklin County government consists of a manager, sheriff, and appraiser (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Thirteen Circuit Court Judges serve Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties and a County Court Judge, clerk, and county attorney serve Franklin County (judicial.) It is situated in northwest Florida on the Gulf of Mexico west of Tallahassee, Florida.  Apalachicola River forms the western border and the Gulf of Mexico is the south border.  The center of the county is 25.9 miles East-Northeast of Apalachicola near Carrabelle.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Liberty and Wakulla counties and the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf County. 

The area of the county is 534 square miles.  It is 56 out of 67 counties in the state.  It ranks 64 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 23.3 persons per square mile making it 63 out of 67 in the state.  Franklin County has 39.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 98 parallels the Gulf of Mexico east to west through the county from Wakulla County to Gulf County.  United States Highway 319 enters from Wakulla County, northeast, and terminates.  The county is shaped like a triangle plus the breaker islands around Apalachicola Bay.  Apalachicola is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Carrabelle is slightly east of center in the county on the coast.  Apalachicola is the county seat and Carrabelle is the largest city.  Apalachicola is 19.3% of the county population while Carrabelle is 24.1% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced AP-A-LACH-I-KOE-LA.