Florida's first constitution was drafted beside St. Joseph Bay, not in Tallahassee. In December 1838, 56 territorial delegates gathered in the boomtown of St. Joseph and spent 34 days creating a framework for state government. The town lasted only about nine years, but its constitution became Florida's organic law when the territory entered the Union in 1845. Constitution Convention Museum State Park in present-day Port St. Joe preserves that unexpectedly large piece of local history.
Port St. Joe is the county seat and the main coastal city, with a working waterfront, marina and neighborhoods along the bay. Wewahitchka, usually shortened to Wewa, is the inland city near the Chipola River and Dead Lakes. St. Joe Beach, Highland View, Indian Pass and Cape San Blas are unincorporated coastal communities. The St. Joseph Peninsula curves around the bay, sheltering clear water and creating the long, slender geography that makes this county instantly recognizable on a map.
The two cities face different directions and even different time zones in practice. Port St. Joe operates on Eastern Time, while Wewahitchka's part of the county observes Central Time. The clerk accordingly posts different hours and time zones for the Port St. Joe courthouse and Wewahitchka annex. It is a small but memorable reminder to check the details before planning an office visit.
Real property ranges from Port St. Joe houses and Wewa acreage to coastal lots, vacation homes and parcels near the bay. Storms have repeatedly reshaped the local housing market and building standards. Coastal land may carry flood, access, easement and environmental questions. A deed cannot answer all of those questions, but it must identify the property correctly and reflect the intended transfer. Common reasons include a sale, gift, trust plan, estate-related change, family transfer or correction.
The Gulf County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller records deeds and other instruments in the Official Records. The main recording office is in Room 149 at 1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Boulevard in Port St. Joe. An annex in Wewahitchka provides limited Friday service. Documents may be delivered in person, mailed or submitted through approved eRecording providers. The clerk lists CSC, eRecording Partners Network, Simplifile and Hopdox for electronic submissions.
The standard fee is $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page of an instrument no larger than legal size. Each indexed name beyond four adds $1. Documentary stamp tax on deeds is generally $0.70 per $100 of consideration outside Miami-Dade County. The clerk publishes these charges along with older historical stamp-tax rates, but the current transaction should always be calculated using current law and office instructions.
The Gulf County Property Appraiser provides parcel maps, ownership and assessment data. The clerk's Official Records search provides the deeds, mortgages, liens and other recorded instruments. Port St. Joe's delegates spent more than a month debating the language of Florida's first constitution. A private deed should not require a constitutional convention, but it does deserve careful words, correct signatures and a proper place in Gulf County's records.
Official Records
Where deeds are recorded in Gulf County
| Detail | Recording information |
|---|---|
| Recording authority | Gulf County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller |
| Department | Recording / Official Records |
| Main recording office | 1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Boulevard, Room 149, Port St. Joe, FL 32456 |
| Mailing address | 1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Boulevard, Port St. Joe, FL 32456 |
| Telephone | 850-229-6112 or 850-639-5068, extension 2304 |
| Submission | In person, by mail, or through approved eRecording providers including CSC, ePN, Simplifile and Hopdox. Limited annex service is available in Wewahitchka. |
| Standard charges | For a standard letter-size instrument, Florida's statutory charges generally total $10 for the first page, $8.50 for each additional page, plus $1 for each indexed name after the first four. Deed documentary stamp tax is generally $0.70 per $100 or part of $100 of consideration. Tax, extra documents, certified copies and vendor charges can change the total. |
| Official Records | Search recorded documents |
| Property records | Open the county property appraiser |
Preparing the instrument
Deed requirements for Gulf County
Florida law generally requires a deed conveying real property to be signed by the grantor in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. The instrument also needs the parties, legal description, consideration and documentary stamp treatment, acknowledgment, preparer information, return address, and printed witness information required for the particular recording.
For Gulf County, the recorder currently describes submission this way: In person, by mail, or through approved eRecording providers including CSC, ePN, Simplifile and Hopdox. Limited annex service is available in Wewahitchka. Posted standard charges are: For a standard letter-size instrument, Florida's statutory charges generally total $10 for the first page, $8.50 for each additional page, plus $1 for each indexed name after the first four. Deed documentary stamp tax is generally $0.70 per $100 or part of $100 of consideration. Tax, extra documents, certified copies and vendor charges can change the total.
The clerk records documents that satisfy its intake requirements but does not decide whether a deed produces the intended ownership, homestead, tax, mortgage, or estate-planning result. Review the current deed and transfer plan before signing. See Florida Statutes section 689.01 ↗ for the statewide conveyance rule.
Recording places a deed in the county's public records, but it does not replace attorney review of the deed, title, homestead, tax or signing issues.
Sources and verification
- Gulf County Official RecordsRecorder role, record access, current fees, main-office and annex locations and time-zone-specific hours.
- Gulf County eFiling and eRecordingApproved electronic-recording providers and submission process.
- Gulf Clerk ContactRecording department extension and office phone numbers.
- Constitution Convention Museum State ParkSt. Joseph boomtown, 56 delegates, 1838 constitution and relationship to 1845 statehood.
- History of the Constitution ConventionConvention dates, 34-day drafting period and historical context.
- Gulf County Property AppraiserOfficial parcel and assessment information.
- Florida Statute 28.24, clerk recording chargesState recording charge framework.
- Florida Department of Revenue, Documentary Stamp TaxDeed tax rates and Miami-Dade distinction.
General information only. This article is not a substitute for legal advice about a particular property or transfer.