DeSoto County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in DeSoto County: 22 seats on 9 elected bodies. 3 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in DeSoto County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
1
1
School districts (school boards)
1
1
Special districts (elected boards)
6
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in DeSoto County
35,386people
43.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$54,417 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
24.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
10.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$174,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700
9.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
13.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
19.9%U.S.: 8.4%
46%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 30.1% · White 54.9% · Black 12.3% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 2.6% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in DeSoto County
5.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.4%. Florida: 4.2%.
688people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
11,566people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
12,254in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
5.6%
688
11,566
12,254
August 2026
6.0%
731
11,514
12,245
July 2026
6.1%
729
11,230
11,959
June 2026
5.8%
711
11,446
12,157
May 2026
5.5%
678
11,662
12,340
April 2026
5.8%
709
11,595
12,304
March 2026
5.5%
689
11,728
12,417
February 2026
6.1%
754
11,684
12,438
January 2026
6.2%
763
11,471
12,234
December 2025
5.8%
700
11,470
12,170
November 2025
6.3%
772
11,474
12,246
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
5.4%
660
11,660
12,320
August 2025
5.4%
664
11,663
12,327
July 2025
5.2%
628
11,505
12,133
June 2025
4.7%
593
11,939
12,532
May 2025
4.3%
539
12,114
12,653
April 2025
4.0%
503
12,091
12,594
March 2025
4.2%
539
12,277
12,816
February 2025
4.5%
569
12,191
12,760
January 2025
4.7%
592
12,011
12,603
December 2024
3.9%
487
11,952
12,439
November 2024
4.4%
545
11,919
12,464
October 2024
4.2%
525
12,015
12,540
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.9%
614
11,854
12,468
2024
4.0%
505
12,094
12,599
2023
3.5%
431
11,998
12,429
2022
3.5%
429
11,813
12,242
2021
4.3%
543
12,221
12,764
2020
5.4%
731
12,829
13,560
2019
3.5%
471
12,873
13,344
2018
3.9%
508
12,375
12,883
2017
4.5%
596
12,656
13,252
2016
5.4%
683
12,070
12,753
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Florida's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.4% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in DeSoto County
314.9 per 100,0002025. Florida: 260.9.
819.9 per 100,0002025. Florida: 1,176.1.
7murders2025, 116 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
116
314.9
302
819.9
2024
121
324.6
399
1,070.4
2022
135
384.3
697
1,984.3
2020
186
486.3
550
1,438.1
2019
159
423.4
618
1,645.7
2018
142
382.5
737
1,985.3
2017
156
432.7
814
2,258.0
2016
163
457.4
811
2,275.7
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Desoto County Sheriff's Office
2025
80
219
28,723
Arcadia Police Department
2020
49
97
8,392
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Florida · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.17 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 36,836 people.
80sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
67civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Desoto County Sheriff's Office
61
63
28,723
Arcadia Police Department
19
4
8,113
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
80
2.17
67
2
2024
73
1.96
36
2
2023
73
2.03
64
2
2022
73
2.08
62
2
2021
69
1.80
66
2
2020
79
2.07
57
2
2019
75
2.00
63
2
2018
82
2.21
71
2
2017
69
1.91
30
2
2016
75
2.10
67
2
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the DeSoto County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller?
Nadia K. Daughtrey (Republican) is the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of DeSoto County, Florida.
Who is the DeSoto County Property Appraiser?
David A. Williams (Democratic) is the Property Appraiser of DeSoto County, Florida.
Who is the DeSoto County Sheriff?
James F. Potter (Republican) is the Sheriff of DeSoto County, Florida.
Who is the DeSoto County Supervisor of Elections?
Debbie Wertz (Republican) is the Supervisor of Elections of DeSoto County, Florida.
Who is the DeSoto County Tax Collector?
Susan D. Pooley (Republican) is the Tax Collector of DeSoto County, Florida.
Jami Schueneman (District 1 (Chair)); Sharon Goodman (District 2 (Vice Chair)); Karen Chancey (District 3); Asena Mott (District 4); Kelly Mercer (District 5); Robert "Bobby" Bennett (Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of DeSoto County?
About 35,386 people, with a median age of 43.5; the median household income is $54,417 and 24.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in DeSoto County?
5.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 688 people unemployed in a labor force of 12,254, against 5.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in DeSoto County?
9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 6 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in DeSoto County?
1: Arcadia. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county Supervisor of Elections' official lists and candidate filings and the bodies' own websites; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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