1887- Citrus County (Florida’s 44th) and Pasco County (Florida’s 45th) were established by the Florida legislature on this date. Both located on Florida’s central gulf coast, Citrus and Pasco Counties relied heavily on agricultural industries such as citrus production in the late 19th century, the former of which adopted the product for its name, while the latter chose U.S. Senator and former Confederate soldier from Florida, Samuel Pasco as its namesake. The county seat of Citrus County is Inverness and Pasco County’s seat is Dade City. Citrus County has experienced much more rapid growth in recent years due to its proximity to the Tampa metropolitan area.