Santa Rosa County recorded a population of 188,000 in 2020 and a 2023 estimate of 203,162, as reported by the United States Census Bureau.
santa rosa county spans 1,174 square miles, including 162 square miles of water, representing about 13.8 percent of its area, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The county lies inside the Pensacola metropolitan area, and Navarre is identified as its most populated community with roughly 45,000 residents, according to county profiles.
The county divides into South, Central, and North regions, with South Santa Rosa shaped by bays and beaches and Central Santa Rosa retaining more rural character along US Highway 90.
The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners sets policy for the county, and commissioners named in county records include Bobby Burkett, Kerry Smith, Rhett Rowell, Ray Eddington, and Colton Wright.
The board meets in regular session at 9:00 am on the second and fourth Thursday of each month in the Administrative Center at 6495 Caroline Street in Milton, as noted in county documents.
Milton And County Services
Milton serves as the county seat and lies near the mouth of the Blackwater River, with a 2020 population of 10,197 and a 2023 estimate of 10,957, as reported by the United States Census Bureau.
The city was first incorporated in 1844 and developed around the lumber industry, carrying earlier names such as Scratch Ankle, Jernigan's Landing, and Milltown, according to city histories.
Historical accounts record that much of Milton was burned by Confederate forces during the Civil War in May 1862, and Naval Air Station Whiting Field was commissioned in July 1943 with construction help from prisoners of war, as reported in local histories.
Santa Rosa Medical Center in Milton is a 129-bed general hospital and is identified as the primary provider of hospital services and emergency medicine for the county, according to city sources.
Milton endured an F3 tornado on March 31, 1962 that killed 17 people and injured 100, as recorded in local storm histories, and on January 21, 2025 Milton received 10 inches of snow during a Gulf Coast blizzard, as reported by CBS News.
The city hosts cultural sites including the West Florida Railroad Museum, the Blackwater Heritage State Trail, and the historic Imogene Theater, and has produced notable residents such as Bubba Watson and Kevin Stitt, as listed in city profiles.
