Bay County is located in Florida's panhandle, directly against the Gulf of Mexico. Bay County is composed of 764 square miles of land and 270 square miles of water surface. Bay County was officially established by the Florida Legislature on July 1, 1913 and the county seat is Panama City. Bay County includes a portion of Apalachicola National Forest.

While Bay County is most famous for its beautiful sandy beaches, this is also the site of Gideon vs. Wainwright, a landmark court case which resulted in the federal legislation that now gives all persons accused of a crime the right to be represented by an attorney.