There are currently 1,967 special districts across Florida, according to the Florida Department of Commerce. Most aren’t like the big, quasi-autonomous districts that cover The Villages and Disney World, though. Some just cover local or county libraries, utilities, parks, or airports, among other typical government functions. Others cover the whole state under a variety of functions, like Space Florida’s function as “the single point of contact for all space-related functions of the State of Florida.” Most districts are focused on community and commercial development, though some remain undeveloped years after creation.
Altogether, they combine in a patchwork of governmental districts that blanket the state—sometimes complicating government functions, sometimes simplifying them.
— Jason Russell
