Gulf County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Gulf County: 26 seats on 10 elected bodies. 1 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
County Commission
Gulf County Board of County Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 6 local governments in Gulf 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
2
2
School districts (school boards)
1
1
Special districts (elected boards)
2
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 Gulf County
15,131people
46.9median ageU.S.: 38.9
$61,179 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
23.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$250,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
2.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
9.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.3%U.S.: 8.4%
58.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
31.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.9% · White 76.6% · Black 13.5% · Asian 0.6% · Other or more than one race 4.4% (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 Gulf County
4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.4%. Florida: 4.2%.
268people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
6,199people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
6,467in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.1%
268
6,199
6,467
August 2026
4.4%
285
6,190
6,475
July 2026
4.6%
299
6,174
6,473
June 2026
4.6%
298
6,182
6,480
May 2026
4.5%
291
6,130
6,421
April 2026
4.6%
294
6,129
6,423
March 2026
4.6%
288
6,031
6,319
February 2026
5.1%
326
6,006
6,332
January 2026
5.5%
341
5,912
6,253
December 2025
4.9%
308
5,974
6,282
November 2025
5.1%
325
5,997
6,322
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.4%
282
6,066
6,348
August 2025
4.4%
282
6,170
6,452
July 2025
4.3%
279
6,263
6,542
June 2025
4.0%
259
6,252
6,511
May 2025
3.6%
235
6,261
6,496
April 2025
3.5%
226
6,216
6,442
March 2025
3.6%
231
6,125
6,356
February 2025
3.7%
233
6,089
6,322
January 2025
3.7%
230
6,066
6,296
December 2024
3.1%
197
6,078
6,275
November 2024
3.4%
214
6,092
6,306
October 2024
3.4%
216
6,159
6,375
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.1%
263
6,134
6,397
2024
3.3%
208
6,164
6,372
2023
2.9%
184
6,120
6,304
2022
3.0%
181
5,794
5,975
2021
3.9%
224
5,572
5,796
2020
6.0%
336
5,265
5,601
2019
5.1%
277
5,171
5,448
2018
5.0%
275
5,254
5,529
2017
4.2%
238
5,411
5,649
2016
4.9%
281
5,427
5,708
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 Gulf County
456.7 per 100,0002020. Florida: 383.6.
1,138.6 per 100,0002020. Florida: 1,769.4.
0murders2020, 71 violent crimes in all.
2020 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2020
71
456.7
177
1,138.6
2019
36
197.8
196
1,076.7
2018
45
245.8
143
781.2
2017
44
243.1
233
1,287.6
2016
60
335.0
209
1,166.8
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Gulf County Sheriff's Office
2024
17
51
12,563
Port St. Joe Police Department
2020
11
18
3,583
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
2.68 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 16,047 people.
43sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
15civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Gulf County Sheriff's Office
31
14
12,055
Port St. Joe Police Department
12
1
3,992
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
43
2.68
15
2
2024
42
2.55
15
2
2023
41
2.58
13
2
2022
40
2.72
13
2
2021
37
2.81
15
2
2019
41
2.55
14
2
2017
35
2.18
14
2
2016
35
2.20
13
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 Gulf County Clerk of the Circuit Court?
James "Matt" Terry (Republican) is the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Gulf County, Florida. Re-elected for the next term.
Who is the Gulf County Property Appraiser?
Mitch Burke (Republican) is the Property Appraiser of Gulf County, Florida.
Who is the Gulf County Sheriff?
Mike Harrison (Republican) is the Sheriff of Gulf County, Florida.
Who is the Gulf County Supervisor of Elections?
Rhonda H. Pierce is the Supervisor of Elections of Gulf County, Florida.
Who is the Gulf County Tax Collector?
Ashley L. Forehand (Republican) is the Tax Collector of Gulf County, Florida.
Who are the Gulf County commissioners?
Christopher "Spike" McLemore (District 1); Jack Husband (District 2); Randy Pridgeon (District 3); Sandy Quinn, Jr. (District 4); Phillip McCroan (District 5).
Who is on the Gulf County School Board?
Chad Bailey (District 1); Brooke Wooten (District 2); Equillar Gainer (District 4); Ruby Sue Knox (District 5); Jim Norton (Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of Gulf County?
About 15,131 people, with a median age of 46.9; the median household income is $61,179 and 12.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Gulf County?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 268 people unemployed in a labor force of 6,467, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Gulf County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 1 school district and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Gulf County?
2: City of Port St. Joe, City of Wewahitchka. 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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