We Counted Every Publix in Florida by County. These 22 Counties Don’t Have One
In most of Florida, a Publix sign feels like part of the scenery.
Not every corner of the state has one, though.
Here’s where the chain’s reach runs out.
How We Checked Every County
Publix’s store list doesn’t spread evenly across the map.
The chain has 898 stores in Florida on its facts and figures page, and that count still clusters hardest along the coasts and the I-4 corridor.
We ran every county through Publix’s store locator on September 28, 2026, and a single new store would change the list.
The locator works by ZIP code, so we checked the towns in each county.
Every mileage in this piece is the locator’s straight-line distance, not driving distance, so actual drives run longer.
Twenty-two came up empty.
The other 45 counties each have at least one Publix.
These are the counties that came up empty, starting with the state’s smallest population and working up.
Publix’s Map Gap, by the Numbers
Publix’s list of missing counties covers a lot of map, but not that many people.
Add up all 22 counties below, and the state’s 2024 estimates put the combined population at 511,007.
That’s just over 2% of Florida’s roughly 23 million residents, spread across close to a third of the state’s 67 counties.
1. Liberty County
Liberty County is Florida’s least populous county, with about 8,016 residents, according to the state’s 2024 population estimate.
The closest Publix sits 36 miles away, in Panama City over in Bay County.
It’s not a quick trip.
For Liberty County shoppers, the drive is the whole story.
2. Lafayette County
The nearest Publix to Lafayette County is 24 miles away, in Live Oak, over the line in Suwannee County.
Lafayette itself has about 8,504 residents, and Mayo is the county seat.
It’s not exactly close.
3. Glades County
Glades County has about 12,815 people, many of them around Moore Haven.
Moore Haven lost its only grocery store in late 2013, a closure covered by WGCU, Southwest Florida’s public broadcasting station, as a genuine food desert.
There’s still no Publix.
The nearest Publix is 31 miles out, in Lake Placid, over in Highlands County.
4. Franklin County
Franklin County holds about 13,321 residents along the Forgotten Coast.
Apalachicola has a Piggly Wiggly at 130 Avenue E, according to the chain’s locations page.
That’s the local option.
It’s among the longest gaps to a Publix on this whole list.
Panama City Centre, over in Bay County, is the nearest Publix, 45 miles away.
5. Calhoun County
Calhoun County sits at about 13,700 people, tucked along the Apalachicola River.
Publix is far away.
The closest Publix is 31 miles away, in Panama City, Bay County.
6. Hamilton County
Hamilton County, on the Georgia line, has roughly 14,228 residents.
For once, that’s close.
It’s among the shortest gaps on this whole list.
The nearest Publix is only 12 miles away, at Live Oak Crossing in Live Oak, over in Suwannee County.
7. Jefferson County
Jefferson County has about 15,667 people spread through rolling farmland east of Tallahassee.
It’s a long way.
Crawfordville Commons, over in Wakulla County, is the closest, 18 miles away.
8. Union County
Union County is Florida’s smallest county, at 245 square miles, and it has about 16,100 residents.
Publix sits elsewhere.
That’s 18 miles from the nearest Publix.
The closest is Alachua Market Place, at 16193 Northwest US Highway 441 in Alachua, over in Alachua County.
9. Gulf County
Gulf County has about 16,947 residents, and Port St. Joe has Duren’s Piggly Wiggly on Highway 98, according to the store’s website.
That part’s covered.
There’s no shortcut to Publix, though.
The closest, Panama City Centre, sits 32 miles away in Panama City, Bay County.
10. Dixie County
Dixie County has about 17,555 people along the Gulf side of the Big Bend.
It’s a haul.
The nearest Publix is Market at Newberry Farms, 37 miles away on West Newberry Road in Newberry, Alachua County.
Psst! How much do you know about Publix beyond its aisles? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
Quiz
Publix Trivia Check
Answer these questions on Publix’s history, ownership, and menu. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
What Florida city hosted the very first Publix store, opened by George Jenkins in 1930?
11. Madison County
Madison County, home to about 18,649 people, has been without a supermarket since early 2026.
The town's Winn-Dixie closed on January 25, 2026, ahead of a planned conversion to Aldi.
An August construction update put the target reopening in the fall of this year, with no exact date set yet.
There's no supermarket in town right now.
That stings.
The nearest Publix is Baytree Village, at 1741 Gornto Road in Valdosta, Georgia, 27 miles away.
Live Oak, Florida, is next at 29 miles.
12. Gilchrist County
Gilchrist County has about 19,503 residents.
The nearest Publix is only 11 miles away.
It's a near miss.
That store, Market at Newberry Farms on West Newberry Road in Newberry, Alachua County, is among the shortest gaps on this whole list.
13. Holmes County
Holmes County, up near the Alabama line, has about 20,059 people.
Alabama gets there first.
The nearest Publix is 31 miles away in Dothan, Alabama, one of at least three counties on this list where an out-of-state store is closest.
14. Taylor County
Taylor County, with about 21,802 residents, watched its last full-size grocery store shut down for good.
Perry's Winn-Dixie closed on August 10, 2025, after more than 70 years in town, with almost the entire staff showing up for the emotional final shift.
Seventy years, gone.
Depending on the town, the closest Publix is roughly 40 to 47 miles away.
From Perry, it's Live Oak Crossing at 2215 Ohio Avenue N in Live Oak, Suwannee County, at 44 miles.
15. Hardee County
Hardee County has about 25,883 residents in the state's citrus and cattle country.
Winn-Dixie's store directory lists a Wauchula store at the Hardee County Centre.
The Herald-Advocate reported on January 14, 2026, that its operator sued the landlord over converting it to an Aldi.
The gap is modest.
It's eighteen miles to the nearest Publix, Fairmont Plaza in Sebring, Highlands County.
16. Washington County
Washington County has roughly 26,568 residents, and Chipley is its county seat.
Publix is a haul.
The nearest Publix is 27 miles away.
It's Panama City Centre, in Bay County.
17. Bradford County
Bradford County, with about 27,335 residents, sits close enough to Jacksonville to feel its pull.
Winn-Dixie's store directory lists a Starke store at Starke Plaza on West Madison Street.
That directory is undated.
It's eighteen miles from there to Publix.
The nearest Publix, Middleburg Crossing, sits in Middleburg, over in Clay County.
18. Baker County
Baker County has about 28,899 residents on the northern edge of the state.
Publix is the longer errand.
The closest store, Plaza At Normandy at 11341 Normandy Boulevard, sits 16 miles away in Jacksonville, Duval County.
19. Gadsden County
Gadsden County has about 44,853 residents, just short of Hendry's total.
It borders Leon County, home to Tallahassee.
Next door doesn't count.
For most of the county, the closest Publix is Oak Valley Shopping Center, at 5678 Capital Circle Northwest in Tallahassee, 9 miles from Midway and 19 miles from Quincy.
Bainbridge Crossings in Bainbridge, Georgia, is closer for the western towns, at 20 miles from Chattahoochee versus 26 to Oak Valley, and 19 miles from Gretna versus 20.
20. Hendry County
Hendry County has about 45,413 people, making it one of the largest counties on this list.
That's a lot of people.
The nearest Publix is Homestead Shopping Plaza, 17 miles away in Lehigh Acres, Lee County.
An online petition on Change.org asks Publix to build in Clewiston, Hendry's other main town.
21. Levy County
Levy County has about 45,845 residents.
Chiefland's Winn-Dixie became an Aldi on January 8, 2026, at the same North Young Boulevard address.
The building never sat empty.
Publix is still 24 miles from Chiefland, over the county line at Market at Newberry Farms on West Newberry Road in Newberry, Alachua County.
Williston is closer, with Tower Square in Gainesville 14 miles away, but for Chiefland an Aldi at a Winn-Dixie's old address is the nearest grocery option for now.
22. Jackson County
Jackson County has about 49,345 residents, more than any other county on this list.
Marianna, the county seat, is 26 miles from the nearest Publix.
Alabama wins again.
The nearest Publix is Cottonwood Corners, at 1620 Ross Clark Circle in Dothan, Alabama, 26 miles from Marianna and 21 miles from Graceville.
Grand Ridge's closest is Bainbridge Crossings in Bainbridge, Georgia, 30 miles away, so Jackson is one of at least three counties whose nearest Publix is out of state.
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