Pasco

June 2, 1887 (45^th county)

Pasco County (561,897), Dade City (7,108), Zephyrhills (17,182)

A Beaux Arts red brick and masonry courthouse was built in 1909.  It is located on Live Oak between 3^rd and 4^th streets.  United States Highway 98 is four blocks west of the location.  Edward Columbus Hosford is the architect.  The courthouse was renovated in 1998.  A Government Center was added in 2000.  The building features columns and a dome.  The county was formed from Hernando County on June 2, 1887 as the 45^th county with Dade City as the only county seat.  Senator Samuel Pasco provided the source of the county’s name.  Major F. L. Dade is the namesake of the county seat.  He is also the namesake for Dade County. 

Pasco County government consists of a manager, sheriff, and appraiser (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Forty-eight Circuit Court Judges serve Pasco and Pinellas counties and Seven County Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve Pasco County (judicial.) The county is located on the Gulf of Mexico in western Florida.  Tampa, Florida is south of the county.  The center of the county is 15.8 miles West-Southwest of Dade City nearer Darby.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hernando, Sumter, Polk, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties and the Gulf of Mexico. 

The area of the county is 745 square miles.  It is 30 out of 67 counties in the state.  It ranks 11 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 754.2 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 67 in the state.  Pasco County has 8.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 75 crosses north to south through the county, Hernando County to Hillsborough County.  United States Highway 19 also goes north to south from Hernando County to Pinellas County.  United States Highway 41 parallels Interstate Highway 75 from Hernando County to Hillsborough County.  United States Highway 98 comes in from Hernando County and goes southeast into Polk County.  United States Highway 301 enters joined with United States Highway 98, splits, and continues south into Hillsborough County.  The county shape looks like a wood plane.  Dade City is in the northeast quarter of the county.  New Port Richey is in the southwest corner on the coast.  Dade City is the county seat and Zephyrhills is the largest city.  Dade City is 1.3% of the county population while Zephyrhills is 3.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced PAS-KOE.  This county is in the Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area.