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Manatee County, Florida | ||
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![]() Location in the state of Florida | ||
Florida's location in the U.S. | ||
Founded | 9 January 1855 | |
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Seat | Bradenton | |
Area - Total - Land - Water |
892.75 sq mi (2,312 km²) 741.03 sq mi (1,919 km²) 151.72 sq mi (393 km²), 16.99% | |
Population - (2020) - Density |
399,710 436/sq mi (168.22/km²) | |
Website | www.mymanatee.org |
Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. Its 2020 population was 399,710.[1] Its county seat and largest city is Bradenton. Manatee County is a part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area and along with Sarasota County to the south and several counties to the north is often considered part of the Tampa Bay Area.
History[]
The area now known as "Manatee County" was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years. The southern mouth of the Manatee River is the likely landing site for the De Soto Expedition and is the location of the U.S. National Park Service's DeSoto National Memorial.
Manatee County was created in 1855. It was named for the Florida manatee (commonly called a "sea cow" though it is distantly related to the elephant), which is endangered and the state's official marine mammal.
Every January, the Manatee County Fair takes place at the fairgrounds.
Geography[]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 892.75 square miles (2,312.2 km2), of which 741.03 square miles (1,919.3 km2) (or 83.01%) is land and 151.72 square miles (393.0 km2) (or 16.99%) is water.[2]
Adjacent counties[]
- Hillsborough County, Florida – north (narrow strip of Hillsborough County separates Manatee County from Pinellas County)
- Polk County, Florida – northeast corner
- Hardee County, Florida – east
- DeSoto County, Florida – southeast
- Sarasota County, Florida – south
National protected areas[]

A Great Egret in Myakka River State Park
- De Soto National Memorial
- Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge
- Lake Manatee State Park
- Myakka River State Park
Demographics[]
Historical populations | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1860 | 854 | ||
1870 | 1,931 | 126.1% | |
1880 | 3,544 | 83.5% | |
1890 | 2,895 | −18.3% | |
1900 | 4,663 | 61.1% | |
1910 | 9,550 | 104.8% | |
1920 | 18,712 | 95.9% | |
1930 | 22,502 | 20.3% | |
1940 | 26,098 | 16.0% | |
1950 | 34,704 | 33.0% | |
1960 | 69,168 | 99.3% | |
1970 | 97,115 | 40.4% | |
1980 | 148,442 | 52.9% | |
1990 | 211,707 | 42.6% | |
2000 | 264,002 | 24.7% | |
2010 | 322,833 | 22.3% | |
[3][4][5] |
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 264,002 people, 112,460 households, and 73,773 families residing in the county. The population density was 356/sq mi (138/km²). There were 138,128 housing units at an average density of 186/sq mi (72/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.36% White, 8.19% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.84% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 9.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 2005 Census estimates show the racial composition of the county as being 77.6% non-Hispanic whites, 11.8% Latino, 8.7% African-American and 1.3% Asian. (Source=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12081.html)
In 2000 there were 112,460 households out of which 23.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.70% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 24.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,673, and the median income for a family was $46,576. Males had a median income of $31,607 versus $25,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,388. About 7.10% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.30% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.
Government[]
Political history[]
Manatee County is part of the strongly Republican Sun Belt. The area became a Republican stronghold following World War II and has remained so since: the last Democrat to win Manatee County was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.[7] During the peak of the Socialist Party's prominence in the early 20th century, Manatee County would elect the only socialist to the state legislature, Andrew J. Pettigrew to the Florida House of Representatives in 1906 to serve for one term. Pettigrew would later go on to run for Governor in 1908 and Secretary of Agriculture in 1912 being unsuccessful in both races.[8]
Law enforcement and justice[]
Sheriff's Office[]
Unincorporated Manatee County is served by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.[9]
Justice[]
Circuit Court[]
Manatee County is a part of the Twelfth Circuit Court of Florida.
Court of Appeals[]
Manatee County is part of the Second District of Appeals.
Recent presidential election results[]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 124,987 | 57.47% | 90,166 | 41.46% | 2,319 | 1.07% |
2016 | 101,944 | 56.40% | 71,224 | 39.40% | 7,589 | 4.20% |
2012 | 85,627 | 55.65% | 66,503 | 43.22% | 1,736 | 1.13% |
2008 | 80,721 | 52.94% | 70,034 | 45.93% | 1,712 | 1.12% |
2004 | 81,318 | 56.62% | 61,262 | 42.66% | 1,041 | 0.72% |
2000 | 58,023 | 52.58% | 49,226 | 44.61% | 3,095 | 2.80% |
1996 | 44,136 | 45.56% | 41,891 | 43.24% | 10,851 | 11.20% |
1992 | 42,725 | 42.63% | 33,841 | 33.77% | 23,654 | 23.60% |
1988 | 51,187 | 65.53% | 26,624 | 34.08% | 302 | 0.39% |
1984 | 55,793 | 72.75% | 20,889 | 27.24% | 6 | 0.01% |
1980 | 40,535 | 61.81% | 21,679 | 33.06% | 3,362 | 5.13% |
1976 | 29,300 | 53.90% | 24,342 | 44.78% | 718 | 1.32% |
1972 | 32,664 | 79.79% | 8,058 | 19.68% | 218 | 0.53% |
1968 | 18,247 | 52.51% | 8,286 | 23.85% | 8,214 | 23.64% |
1964 | 17,147 | 56.74% | 13,074 | 43.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 16,462 | 65.13% | 8,814 | 34.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 11,904 | 68.82% | 5,394 | 31.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 9,055 | 66.40% | 4,583 | 33.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 3,371 | 44.30% | 2,766 | 36.35% | 1,473 | 19.36% |
1944 | 2,218 | 32.80% | 4,544 | 67.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 1,983 | 27.87% | 5,131 | 72.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 1,455 | 29.44% | 3,487 | 70.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 1,280 | 30.67% | 2,894 | 69.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 2,705 | 63.87% | 1,472 | 34.76% | 58 | 1.37% |
1924 | 629 | 32.54% | 1,064 | 55.04% | 240 | 12.42% |
1920 | 884 | 30.83% | 1,790 | 62.43% | 193 | 6.73% |
1916 | 289 | 18.67% | 1,033 | 66.73% | 226 | 14.60% |
1912 | 55 | 5.31% | 712 | 68.73% | 269 | 25.97% |
1908 | 93 | 10.23% | 644 | 70.85% | 172 | 18.92% |
1904 | 91 | 10.64% | 592 | 69.24% | 172 | 20.12% |
1900 | 60 | 8.72% | 535 | 77.76% | 93 | 13.52% |
1896 | 135 | 21.26% | 480 | 75.59% | 20 | 3.15% |
1892 | 0 | 0.00% | 348 | 83.25% | 70 | 16.75% |
Government officials[]
United States Senate[]
Office | Senator | Party |
---|---|---|
Class 3 Senator | Marco Rubio | Republican |
Class 1 Senator | Rick Scott | Republican |
United States House of Representatives[]
District | Representative | Party |
---|---|---|
Florida's 16th Congressional District | Vern Buchanan | Republican |
Florida State Senate[]
District | Senator | Party |
---|---|---|
21 | Bill Galvano | Republican |
Florida House of Representatives[]
District | Representative | Party |
---|---|---|
70 | Michele Rayner | Democratic |
71 | Will Robinson | Republican |
73 | Tommy Gregory | Republican |
Manatee County Board of County Commissioners[]
The Board of Commissioners include the following:[11]
Position | Incumbent |
---|---|
District 1 | James Satcher |
District 2 | Reggie Bellamy |
District 3 | Kevin Van Ostenbridge |
District 4 | Misty Servia |
District 5 | Vanessa Baugh |
District 6[note 1] | Carol Whitmore |
District 7[note 1] | George Kruse |
Public education[]
Manatee County School Board[12] | ||
---|---|---|
Position | Incumbent | Term ends |
District 1 | Gina Messenger | November 2024 |
District 2 | Charlie Kennedy | November 2022 |
District 3 | Mary Foreman | November 2024 |
District 4 | Dr. Scott L. Hopes | November 2022[note 1] |
District 5 | Rev. James Golden | November 2022 |
Other offices[]
Office | Name | Party | First elected | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Clerk of the Circuit Court | Angelina M. Colonneso | Republican | 2015† | |
Property Appraiser | Charles E. Hackney | Republican | 1992 | |
Sheriff | Rick Wells | Republican | 2016† | |
Supervisor of Elections [14] | Mike Bennett | Republican | 2013 | |
Tax Collector[15] | Ken Burton, Jr | Republican | 1992 |
Voter registration[]
Information as of January 12, 2019.[16]
Voter registration and party enrollment | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Number of voters | Percentage | |||
Republican | 108,729 | 42.99% | |||
Democratic | 76,967 | 30.43% | |||
style="background-color:Template:Independent (United States)/meta/color;" width=10px | | Others | 67,174 | 26.56% | ||
Total | 252,870 | 100% |
Economy[]
Bealls of Florida has its headquarters in unincorporated Manatee County.[17][18]
Places[]

Map of Manatee County indicating incorporated municipalities. Number corresponds to list at left.
Incorporated[]
- City of Anna Maria
- City of Bradenton
- City of Bradenton Beach
- City of Holmes Beach
- Town of Longboat Key
- City of Palmetto
Unincorporated Census Designated Places[]
- Bayshore Gardens
- Cortez
- Ellenton
- Memphis
- Samoset
- South Bradenton
- West Bradenton
- West Samoset
- Whitfield
Other unincorporated places[]
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See also[]
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manatee County, Florida
References[]
- ^ "2010 Census Data". United States Census. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/fl190090.txt
- ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_QTPL&prodType=table
- ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David (June 29, 2016). "How the red and blue map evolved over the past century". http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century.
- ^ Griffin, R. Steven; ‘Workers of the Sunshine State, Unite! The Florida Socialist Party during the Progressive Era, 1900-1920’ (thesis)
- ^ "Manatee County Sheriff's office". http://www.manateesheriff.com/.
- ^ David Leip. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
- ^ "Board of County Commissioners". https://www.mymanatee.org/cms/one.aspx?portalid=7588390&pageid=11582828.
- ^ "School Board Members". February 13, 2021. https://www.manateeschools.net/domain/1115.
- ^ Anderson, Zac (July 21, 2017). "Governor appoints Scott Hopes to Manatee School Board seat". http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20170721/governor-appoints-scott-hopes-to-manatee-school-board-seat.
- ^ "Manatee County Supervisor of Elections > Home". VoteManatee.com. http://www.votemanatee.com/.
- ^ "Biography of Manatee County Tax Collector, Ken Burton, Jr.". TaxCollector.com. April 2019. http://www.taxcollector.com/docs/gen/kenbio.pdf.
- ^ "Manatee County Supervisor of Elections > Home". https://www.votemanatee.com/.
- ^ "Contact Us." Bealls (Florida). Retrieved on December 14, 2009.
- ^ "Samoset CDP, Florida." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on December 14, 2009.
External links[]
Government links/Constitutional offices[]
- Manatee County Board of County Commissioners official website
- Manatee County Supervisor of Elections
- Manatee County Property Appraiser
- Manatee County Sheriff's Office
- Manatee County Tax Collector
- Manatee County Search & Rescue
Special districts[]
- Manatee County Public Schools
- Southwest Florida Water Management District
- Port Authority of Manatee County, Florida
Judicial branch[]
- Manatee County Clerk of Courts
- Office of the State Attorney, 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties
- Circuit and County Court for the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida
Tourism links[]
- Manatee Chamber of Commerce
- Florida Gulf Islands Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Village of the Arts
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Hillsborough County | Polk County | ![]() | |
Gulf of Mexico | Hardee County | |||
![]() ![]() Manatee County, Florida | ||||
![]() | ||||
Sarasota County | DeSoto County |
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This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Manatee County, Florida. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |