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 September 25, 2026.
Hardee County, Florida, has about 26,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Hardee County is held at the county jail, run by the Hardee 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: Hardee County public records, Hardee County arrest records, Hardee County warrants, Hardee County criminal records, Hardee County court records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Hardee County
The county jail, run by the Hardee County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Hardee County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Hardee County Sheriff's Office at hardeeso.com/bureaus/booking_questions.php (page title: Welcome to Hardee County Sheriff s Office), phone (863) 773-0304, 900 East Summit St. Wauchula, FL 33873, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at (863) 773-0304.
The Hardee County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 150 people on an average day, up from about 130 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 215 beds, and it ran at 63 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Hardee County has about 26,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 56 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Hardee County Jail
The Hardee County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Wauchula and Bowling Green make the arrests that end in a booking in Hardee County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one state police unit in Hardee County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Hardee 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 Hardee 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 Hardee County?
Ask the Hardee County Sheriff's Office at (863) 773-0304; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at hardeeso.com/bureaus/booking_questions.php.
How many people are in the Hardee County jail?
About 150 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 215 beds.
What is the phone number for the Hardee County jail?
(863) 773-0304, the number on the page of the Hardee County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Hardee County go?
To a facility of the Florida Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at fdc.myflorida.com.
Is this the official Hardee 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.