Lake

Formed May 27, 1887 (43^rd county)

Lake County (383,959), Tavares (19,003), Clermont (43,028)

The Modern style tan brick building is the current concrete courthouse, built in 1992.  It is located at Main Street and Barrow Avenue.  Florida State Highway 46 is two blocks north of the site.  Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum are the architects.  An Administration Center, built in 1976, augments the courthouse.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There were courthouses built in 1888 and 1922 all in Tavares.  The county was formed on May 27, 1887 from parts of Sumter and Orange counties as the 43^rd county.  It was named for the number of lakes in the area.  Tavares was selected by a settler for one of his Spanish ancestors.  

Lake County government consists of a manager, sheriff, and appraiser (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-eight Circuit Court Judges serve Lake, Citrus, Hernando, Marion, and Sumter counties and Two County Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve Lake County (judicial.) The county is located in central Florida northeast of Tampa, Florida and northwest of Orlando, Florida.  The center of the county is 8.9 miles South-Southwest of Tavares nearer Howey-in-the-Hills.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Volusia, Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Sumter, and Marion counties. 

The area of the county is 953 square miles.  It is 18 out of 67 counties in the state.  It ranks 17 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 402.9 persons per square mile making it 20 out of 67 in the state.  Lake County has 52.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 27 enters the county from the north, Marion County, and exits to the south, Polk County.  United States Highway 441 is joined with United States Highway 27 from Marion County, splits, and goes east into Orange County.  The county is shaped like a duck on its tail.  Tavares is located slightly west of center in the county.  Clermont is in the southeast part of the county.  Tavares is the county seat and Clermont is the largest city.  Tavares is 5.0% of the county population while Clermont is 11.2% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced TA-VAE-RES.  This county is in the Orlando-Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.