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COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: MONROE COUNTY
9
Winter 2017 Newsletter of the FCIAAO
Monroe County is the southernmost county in the State of Florida and
the United States. On July 2, 1823, an act of the Territorial Legislature
established Monroe County as the 6th county in the Florida territory.
Monroe County was named after then President James Monroe, our 5th
U.S. President, who served between 1817 and 1825.
The county seat for Monroe is Key West which at the time it was incor-
porated in 1828, had a population of just 600 people. By 1890, the pop-
ulation of Key West was nearly 18,800 residents and it claimed to be
the biggest and richest city in Florida. Today, the population in Key
West is approximately 26,000 full-time residents with 77,482 residing
county-wide.
The county is made up of the Florida Keys and portions of the Everglades National Park and
Big Cypress National Preserve. These parks are mostly uninhabited mainland areas. Most
known are the Florida Keys, with its string of islands connected by 42 bridges along U.S. High-
way 1, 150 miles southwest of Miami. Monroe County is the largest county in Florida by total
area! Eighty-seven percent of the county’s land is on the mainland. Over 99% of the popula-
tion, however, lives in the Florida Keys.
The Florida Keys is known for its exciting water activities, landmarks and eclectic history. Key
Largo has some of the best diving in the world as it is home to the only living coral reef in the
U.S. Traveling a little farther down the chain is Islamorada, the sport-fishing Capital of the
World. Marlin, tuna and Dolphin are the fish of choice. Once you reach the middle of the
chain of islands, you will encounter the Seven-Mile Bridge. It has been the site of several mov-
ies including True Lies and is a truly man-made feat thanks to Henry Flagler. With the Atlantic
on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, it is definitely a sight to see . Finally at the
end of the island chain is the City of Key West, home of Ernest Hemingway, the famous Duval
Street, The Little White house where many past presidents vacationed and the Southernmost
Point, of course!
2016 Tax Roll At‐A‐Glance
Real Property Parcels
90,142
Tangible Accounts
19,212
Just (Market) Value
$33,272,022,332
Taxable Value
$22,955,517,724
Employees:
40
Hon. Scott P. Russell, CFA | first elected in 2012| Web:
http://qpublic.net/fl/monroeHonorable Scott P.
Russell, CFA