Mosquito County, Florida facts for kids

Mosquito County was a very large county in early Florida. It was also sometimes called Musquito County on old maps. This historic county covered most of the eastern part of Florida. Its land included many areas that are now separate counties. These include Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Seminole, Osceola, Orange, Lake, Polk, and Palm Beach counties. Mosquito County stopped existing in 1844.

History of Mosquito County

The eastern coast of central Florida was known as "Los Musquitos" for a long time. This name was used from the 1500s until 1844.

How Mosquito County Started

In 1821, Andrew Jackson took control of the Florida territory. Spain had given this land to the United States. Jackson divided the entire territory into two large areas. These areas were called counties. The area west of the Suwannee River became Escambia County. All the land east of the river became St. Johns County. This division was similar to how British colonies had been set up before.

Mosquito County was created from a part of St. Johns County. This happened on December 29, 1824. The main office for the county, called the county seat, was set up at John Bunch's house. This house was west of where Tomoka State Park is today. Mosquito County was huge. It was about 220 miles long and 90 miles wide. This made it the biggest county in the new Florida territory.

Changes Over Time

In 1830, a count of the population was done. This is called a census. The census showed 15 families living in Mosquito County. There were 733 people in total. Most of these people were enslaved. In January 1835, the county seat moved to New Smyrna. It was located on a large farm owned by Bunch.

However, the Second Seminole War began. This war caused many white settlers to leave Mosquito County by the end of 1835. By 1838, there was so little activity in the county. The clerk from St. Johns County was asked to keep Mosquito County's records. But by 1840, things changed again. Even though the census showed no white residents except for soldiers, Mosquito County had its own officials once more.

In 1841, a law was proposed to change the county's name. The new name would have been "Leigh Read County". The law was passed by the lawmakers. But the governor did not sign the bill in time. So, the name change did not happen.

In 1842, a new law was passed called the Armed Occupation Act. This law offered 160 acres of land to families. A family could get this land if they settled south of Ocala or Ormond. This encouraged more people to move to the area.

In 1843, the county seat moved again. This time, it moved to Enterprise.

The End of Mosquito County

In 1844, the very large Mosquito County was divided. It was cut into two smaller parts. The southern half of the county was named St. Lucie County. The northern half was renamed Orange County. Later, in 1855, St. Lucie County was renamed Brevard County. This marked the end of Mosquito County.