Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
DeSoto County, Florida, has about 37,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in DeSoto County is held at the county jail, run by the Desoto County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: DeSoto County public records, DeSoto County arrest records, DeSoto County warrants, DeSoto County criminal records, DeSoto County court records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in DeSoto County
The county jail, run by the Desoto County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in DeSoto County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Desoto County Sheriff's Office at desotosheriff.com/bureaus/detention_bureau_jail/jail_roster.php (page title: Welcome to Desoto County Sheriff, FL), phone 863-993-4710, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone booked recently. A person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
The DeSoto County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 160 people, up from about 130 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 142 beds, and it ran at 113 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
DeSoto County has about 37,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 43 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the DeSoto County Jail
The Desoto County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Arcadia make the arrests that end in a booking in DeSoto County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one state police unit in DeSoto County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Desoto County Sheriff's Office's 941 for 2025 and Arcadia's 336 for 2024.
Together, the two agencies in DeSoto County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,445 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in DeSoto County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in DeSoto County serves the sentence in a facility of the Florida Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at fdc.myflorida.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in DeSoto County?
Look on the custody page of the Desoto County Sheriff's Office at desotosheriff.com, or call 863-993-4710. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the DeSoto County jail?
About 160 on an average day in 2025, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 142 beds.
What is the phone number for the DeSoto County jail?
863-993-4710, the number on the page of the Desoto County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in DeSoto County go?
To a facility of the Florida Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at fdc.myflorida.com.
Is this the official DeSoto County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.