Welcome to Hernando County, Florida
 The Vision for the Hernando County community includes the "Close to Home, Room to Roam" aspects of this transitioning suburban/rural county. It is part of the 9-county "Nature Coast" yet lies within the census-designated Tampa Bay metropolitan area. (Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties) The local economy is fueled by construction, dairy/cattle production, distribution, electronics, forest resources, health care, lime rock mining, manufacturing, retail, and tourism.
Hernando County is located on the central-west coast of Florida north of Tampa Bay. It is bounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Citrus County to the north, Sumter County to the east, and Pasco County to the south. Hernando County stretches 37 miles east to west, and 18 miles north to south for a total of 506 square miles. (approximately 323,700 acres) The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) checked in with a Census 2000 population of 2.4 million.
 As part of the Nature Coast, vast tracts of public land have been preserved in Hernando County. These include the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, Chinsegut Hill National Wildlife Refuge, Withlacoochee State Forest, Weeki Wachee Preserve, and the PK Ranch. Recreation also abounds on the Withlacoochee and Weeki Wachee Rivers as well as at the Silver Lake Recreation Area, and the first-magnitude Weekee Wachee Springs. The latter were recently purchased by the State of Florida.
With an average January temperature of 60 degrees, year-round outdoor recreation is the mantra in Hernando County. Hunting, fishing, camping, paddling, birding, and hiking are just a few of the many recreational opportunities enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Championship golf courses, paved or wilderness bicycle trails, and the Croom Motorcycle Recreation Area attract visitors from far beyond the County borders.
The Census 2000 population for Hernando County was 130,802. Unincorporated Spring Hill in the southwest, is the largest Hernando County community with a population of 70,000 to 85,000 depending on where boundaries are drawn. The City of Brooksville, the county seat, population 7,279, is rich in history and traditions. The only other city within Hernando County is Weeki Wachee, population 8, which incorporated many decades ago to appear on Florida maps in promotion of the Buccaneer Bay/Weeki Wachee Resort "City of Mermaids".
In 2001, the Turnpike District of the Florida Department of Transportation opened 42 miles of the Suncoast Parkway connecting northern Hernando County with the Tampa International Airport and Westshore District of Tampa. The north-south tollway translates to less than 30 minutes to Tampa for many Spring Hill residents.
Hernando County is also well connected by Interstate 75 and US 301 in the east, US 41 and US 98 in the central part of the County, and US 19 in western Hernando County. Other Florida cities lying within an hour's drive of the County are Lakeland, Ocala, and Orlando. The County is served by the local Hernando County Airport and Tampa International Airport, 45 miles to the south.
Incorporated Cities
 Brooksville* |
2004 Population: 7,279 |
| Weeki Wachee |
2004 Population: 8 |
HISTORICAL 
On February 27, 1843, the County of Hernando, named in honor of Hernando Desoto, a Spanish explorer, was established. The name of the county changed in 1844 from Hernando to Benton, for Senator Thomas H. Benton, who had introduced a bill in the State Legislature which was responsible for opening the land for settlement. The position of Senator Benton on the Missouri Compromise was reversed in the 1840's, and the residents of Benton County petitioned to change the name back to Hernando, which was accomplished in 1850. One of the principal settlements by the early 1850's was Bayport, a port of entry for the county for exporting cotton, farm produce and timber. Bayport was chosen and approved as the County Seat by the Legislature in December 1854. Bayport's selection stirred the emotions of residents living in the eastern section of the county, so within two years, the voters chose a site located within five miles of the center of the county. The people of Hernando County named the new County Seat "Brooksville" in honor of Representative Preston Brooks.
During the 1880's a measure entitled, "A Bill to Divide the County of Hernando and Make There from the Counties of Citrus and Pasco" was subsequently introduced, passed, and signed into law on January 2, 1887. In the following several decades, the lumber industry flourished; the citrus boom hit central Florida; the phosphate industry stabilized and limestone mining was established. The depression of the 1930's and World War II had a severe effect, however, on the availability of resources and any further development. As the County recovered, Hernando County had a corresponding increase in population, land developments and highway improvement projects.
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| 1914 - South View of New Courthouse from Brooksville Avenue |
1921 - Court House employees take a watermelon break |
DEMOGRAPHICS
Hernando County's official population grew from 17,004 in 1970 to 130,802 in 2000, a 7-fold increase. According to local population estimates, the County population for September 30, 2005 is 156,012 . The State of Florida's medium population projection for Hernando County in the year 2005 is 146,800. The medium projections for the year 2010, 2020, and 2030 are 161,800; 190,800 and 217,300 respectively. (Voter Registration Statistics can be found here)
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IMPROVING QUALITY THROUGH EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT
Hernando County Government uses the phrase, "At Your Service", to reflect a particular philosophy and attitude for serving the citizens of Hernando County. The "at your service" philosophy is kept at the forefront in an employee involvement process implemented by the Board of County Commissioners, which is referred to as Total Quality Improvement (TQI). The T.Q.I. process directly involves employees in constantly seeking ways to improve the County's services. Employees are trained in problem-solving and data gathering techniques in order to streamline processes and provide quality service with a customer focus. By involving Hernando County's employees in improving the quality of the County's services, they feel greater pride in their work and experience the opportunity to develop and implement creative solutions to problems. The end result is that the citizens, our customers, receive quality service, which provides the meaning in the County's phrase - "At Your Service..."
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