Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Its county seat is Madison, Florida. Madison County was created in 1827 and was named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, who served from 1809 to 1817. Madison County has a total area of approximately 716 square miles of which 97% is land and 3% water. As of the 2000 census, there were 18,733 people, 6,629 households, and 4,680 families residing in Madison County, FL.