Manatee County, Florida | |
|---|---|
 Manatee County Administration Building | |
 Seal  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofFlorida | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| Founded | January 9, 1855 |
| Named after | Florida manatee |
| Seat | Bradenton |
| Largest city | Bradenton |
| Area | |
• Total | 893 sq mi (2,310 km2) |
| • Land | 743 sq mi (1,920 km2) |
| • Water | 150 sq mi (390 km2) 16.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 399,710 |
• Estimate (2023[1]) | 441,095 |
| • Density | 538/sq mi (208/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Area code | 941 |
| Congressional district | 16th |
| Website | www |
Manatee County is located in theU.S. state ofFlorida. As of the2020 United States census, its population was 399,710.[2] Manatee County is part of theSarasota metropolitan area. Itscounty seat and largest city isBradenton, Florida.[3] The county was created in 1855 and named for theWest Indian manatee,[4] Florida's officialmarine mammal. Features of Manatee County include access to the southern part of theTampa Bay estuary, theSunshine Skyway Bridge, and theManatee River.
The area now known as Manatee County had been inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years. Shell middens and other archaeological digs have been conducted throughout the county, including atTerra Ceia andPerico Island. These digs revealed materials belonging to peoples from theWoodland period.[5][6]
Some historians have suggested that the southern mouth of the Manatee River was the landing site of theDe Soto Expedition.[7]
Due to conflict during thePatriot War andFirst Seminole War, many Native American and African American refugees fled to the Tampa Bay region of Florida, and some settled in now-Manatee County.[8] The settlement they founded on the Manatee River was calledAngola.[9] By 1819, the population of Angola may have reached as high as 700 people.[10][11]
The Manatee area was opened to settlement in 1842 with the passing of the federalArmed Occupation Act.[12] Early settlements included the Manatee Colony led by Colonel Samuel Reid that numbered 31 individuals, both black and white.[13] Other prominent early settlers were Joseph and Hector Braden who moved into an area near the Manatee River in 1842.[14] The two had lost their land for their plantations in Northern Florida during thePanic of 1837. They were said to have heard that land in the area was abundant. The brothers moved into a log cabin five miles north of the mouth of the Manatee River. Four years later, Hector drowned while trying to cross the Manatee River on his horse during a hurricane. Despite this tragic event, Joseph decided he would still build the Braden sugar mill[a] at the mouth of the Manatee and Braden Rivers. He later built a dock where Main Street was and fortified the area near his house by building a stockade. A few years later in 1851, he built the Braden Castle, which was made out of tabby and served as his residence. In spring of 1856, the fortified home was attacked by Seminole Indians during theThird Seminole War.[16] It later became a popular tourist attraction in the early 1900s withTin Can Tourists. He only stayed there for the next six years before moving toTallahassee.[14]
Manatee County was carved out from a vastHillsborough County in January 1855 and led byFlorida Senate PresidentHamlin V. Snell.[17] The new county covered 5,000 square miles and included all of what are nowCharlotte,DeSoto,Glades,Hardee,Highlands, part ofLee, andSarasota Counties.[18][19] The original county seat was Manatee, a village on the southern shore of the Manatee River in what now is eastern Bradenton. In 1866, the county seat was moved from the village of Manatee toPine Level, as a result of a referendum mandated by the Florida Legislature.[17] In 1887, the county seat was moved again due to the creation of DeSoto County within the existing boundaries.[20] Braiden Town (Bradenton) was selected as the new county seat by referendum of the county residents who mostly resided near the Manatee River.[17] In 1921, Sarasota County was created by theFlorida Legislature, which further reduced Manatee County to its current boundaries.[20]
Following the Seminole Wars, Manatee County continued to grow in both population and economic output. Hogs and some sheep were raised, but the land was primarily used for cattle raising. The cattle-to-person ratio in Manatee County in 1860 was 37 to one.[21] Processed sugar and molasses were produced and exported. This agricultural economy, like much of the south, was increasingly becoming reliant on slave labor.[22] A federal census in 1860 showed that the county had a population of 601 white people and 214 enslaved black people.[23] After the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War, Manatee County provided supplies to the Confederate army. Aside from theUnion blockade, the Federal army dispatched raiding parties throughout Florida to further limit the Confederate supply chain. For example in August 1864, the Union schoonerUSSStonewall came up the Manatee River on a raid. According to the Florida State Archives, Dr. Braden's sugar works were destroyed during the raid.[24] However, another source states that Braden's property was left untouched.[25]
According to a partial list of soldiers of the Confederate States of America, the county also sent at least 100 of its citizens to fight.[26] Some of the men from Manatee were recruited to the7th Florida Infantry Regiment, which fought as part of theArmy of Tennessee.[27]
Within Manatee County is theGamble Plantation, a sugar plantation and home of Major Robert Gamble.[28] Following the Civil War, in May 1865, the Confederate secretary of state,Judah P. Benjamin, took refuge at the mansion for several weeks before escaping to England.[29]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 893 square miles (2,310 km2), of which 150 square miles (390 km2) (17%) are covered by water.[30]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 399,710 | 23.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 441,095 | [32] | 10.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[33][34] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 399,710 and 168,437 households. Of those households, 23.1% had children under 18, 49.3% were married-couple households, 16.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, 27.9% were someone living alone, with 15.5% 65 or older.[35]
The median age was 49.4 years; 18.3% of residents were under 18 and 27.9% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males 18 and over.[35]
The racial makeup of the county was 72.3%White, 8.0%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 6.6% from some other race, and 10.4% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 17.8% of the population.[36]
About 95.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.7% lived in rural areas.[37]
Of the 206,633 housing units, 18.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.0% were owner-occupied and 29.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.8%.[35]
The median income for a household in the county was $59,963 in 2020, with a per capita income in the past 12 months of $35,146. A reported 10.9% of the population lived in poverty.
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[38] | Pop 1990[39] | Pop 2000[40] | Pop 2010[41] | Pop 2020[42] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 131,276 | 184,568 | 212,664 | 236,950 | 273,101 | 88.44% | 87.18% | 80.55% | 73.40% | 68.32% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 13,106 | 15,971 | 21,136 | 27,228 | 31,147 | 8.83% | 7.54% | 8.01% | 8.43% | 7.79% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 259 | 439 | 527 | 608 | 779 | 0.17% | 0.21% | 0.20% | 0.19% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 405 | 1,192 | 2,330 | 5,203 | 8,433 | 0.27% | 0.56% | 0.88% | 1.61% | 2.11% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[43] | x[44] | 92 | 168 | 246 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.05% | 0.06% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 211 | 113 | 253 | 521 | 1,583 | 0.14% | 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.16% | 0.40% |
| Multiracial (NH) | x[45] | x[46] | 2,460 | 4,200 | 13,442 | x | x | 0.93% | 1.30% | 3.36% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3,185 | 9,424 | 24,540 | 47,955 | 70,979 | 2.15% | 4.45% | 9.30% | 14.85% | 17.76% |
| Total | 148,442 | 211,707 | 264,002 | 322,833 | 399,710 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Bealls of Florida has its headquarters and was founded 1915 inunincorporated Manatee County.[47][48]
Tropicana was founded in Manatee County in the 1950s.[49] Tropicana was bought byPepsiCo in 2001. PepsiCo sold Tropicana to a French private equity firm in 2021.[50]
| Manatee County Public Library System | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 27°29′55.2″N82°34′29″W / 27.498667°N 82.57472°W /27.498667; -82.57472 | |
| Location | 1301 Barcarrota Blvd West Bradenton, Florida 34203 |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1964 |
| Branches | 7 |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | books, movies, newspapers |
| Size | 30,000 |
| Access and use | |
| Population served | 322,000 |
| Members | 20,000 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $25,000 |
| Employees | 120 |
| Website | mymanatee.org/library |
TheManatee County Public Library System offers a collection of adult, young adult, and children's materials, as well as a genealogy section and a local history collection in the form of the Eaton Florida History Reading Room.[51] Public computers are available at all library locations. The library also has a digital collection that includes e-books throughOverDrive, Inc. and Libby; television shows, movies and more e-books throughHoopla; and magazines through Flipster;[52] and local images and documents from the late nineteenth century to the early 1980s.[1]
The libraries also offer author luncheons, children's story times, summer reading programs, job fairs, and book discussion groups.
The library system serves the county in seven locations:
In September 2021, a seventh branch was approved by county commissioners, to be built in Lakewood Ranch.[53] The library's grand opening was on January 12, 2024.[54]
Library cards are free to those who reside, own property, attend school, or work in Manatee County. Non-residents may obtain a temporary card upon payment of a $25.00 annual fee.[55][56][57]
Manatee County participates in theLittle Free Library program. Several Little Free Libraries are at parks and other public places around the county.[58]
Manatee County's first public library was a privately owned rental library created by Julia Fuller at the Mrs. Bass Dry Goods store in 1898. The county's first independent library opened in Bradenton in 1907, followed aCarnegie Library in Palmetto in 1914 and another in Bradenton in 1918. For much of the twentieth century, both cities' libraries were free to city residents while county residents had to pay a non-resident fee. In 1964, the Bradenton and Palmetto library associations merged with the Manatee County government to create the Manatee County Public Library System. This was followed by the establishment of a bookmobile for rural areas in 1964 and a Talking Books program for the blind in 1966.[59]
As demands on the bookmobile grew and the library collection outstripped the existing buildings in Bradenton and Palmetto, the first branch of the Manatee County Public Library system was built in Bayshore in 1967, followed by a new branch on East Ninth Street in 1969 and an Island branch in 1971, the last of which was moved into a new building in 1983. A new building for the Palmetto Library was built in 1969, followed by the modern Central Public Library in downtown Bradenton in 1978.[60]
The 1990s saw a period of rapid growth in Manatee County and the library system grew accordingly, with the Braden River, Rocky Bluff, and South Manatee branches opening in 1991, 1994, and 1998, respectively. The Braden River branch moved to a new building in 1997. The Rocky Bluff location would be moved to a larger location, featuring a built in café, in 2011. The new location is still physically within Ellenton. The additions as well as investment into various technologies such as modern computers, a 3-D Printing Lab, as well as new loanable items, brings Manatee County Libraries to its modern services.[61]
Reciprocal borrowing began in 2000 between Manatee and Sarasota County Libraries, which would be followed by statewide reciprocal borrowing programs. Starting in 2017, the Manatee County library system began offering items including musical instruments, tools, telescopes, binoculars, cake pans, hotspots, and museum passes. During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the library system began offeringWiFi hotspots to patrons in order to provide internet service remotely to work safely and at home. This began in Spring of 2020.[citation needed]
On December 15, 2021, the county broke ground for a new East County library, which was to serve the community of Lakewood Ranch. The new library was scheduled to open mid-2023.[62] The new library, dubbed the Lakewood Ranch Library, had its grand opening on January 12, 2024.[63]
Manatee County has a county transportation service,MCAT. It serves this county,Pinellas County, andSarasota County.[64]
Interstate 75 – the county's major north-southlimited-accessfreeway
Interstate 275 – the Interstate begins westward from I-75 nearPalmetto and has an interchange withUS Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) and begins a concurrency withUS Route 19 for 13 miles (21 km) including theSunshine Skyway Bridge
State Road 64
State Road 70
State Road 684 (Cortez Road)
State Road 789
State Road 62
State Road 37
Rutland Road
University ParkwayManatee County is part of the stronglyRepublicanSun Belt. The area became a Republican stronghold followingWorld War II and has remained so since: the last Democrat to win Manatee County wasFranklin D. Roosevelt in1944.[65]
During the peak of theSocialist Party's prominence in the early 20th century, Manatee County would elect the only socialist to thestate legislature,Andrew Jackson Pettigrew to theFlorida House of Representatives in 1906 for one term defeating John A. Graham (who was a Democrat) in the general election.[66] As a state legislator he would make several proposals that were inline with what the Party reflected at the national level such as making US Senators popularly elected and creating a national income tax. Overall as a state legislator he would make little progress in getting legislation proposed by him passed.[67] Prior to the 1906 race he would run in 1904 for the same position unsuccessfully losing to A.T. Cornwell (also a Democrat) who had served as Bradenton's first mayor and in a variety of positions at the county level. Pettigrew would later go on to run for governor in1908 andSecretary of Agriculture in 1912 being unsuccessful in both races.[66]
In 1970, GovernorClaude R. Kirk Jr. fired Manatee County's superintendent along with the entire school board and appointed himself in their place in an attempt to enddesegregation busing.[68] This situation would last from April 6 to 13 before Kirk left his position as the superintendent.[69]
Unincorporated Manatee County is served by theManatee County Sheriff's Office.[70]
Manatee County is a part of theTwelfth Circuit Court of Florida.
Manatee County is part of theSecond District of Appeals.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 0 | 0.00% | 348 | 83.25% | 70 | 16.75% |
| 1896 | 135 | 21.26% | 480 | 75.59% | 20 | 3.15% |
| 1900 | 60 | 8.72% | 535 | 77.76% | 93 | 13.52% |
| 1904 | 91 | 10.64% | 592 | 69.24% | 172 | 20.12% |
| 1908 | 93 | 10.23% | 644 | 70.85% | 172 | 18.92% |
| 1912 | 55 | 5.31% | 712 | 68.73% | 269 | 25.97% |
| 1916 | 289 | 18.67% | 1,033 | 66.73% | 226 | 14.60% |
| 1920 | 884 | 30.83% | 1,790 | 62.43% | 193 | 6.73% |
| 1924 | 629 | 32.54% | 1,064 | 55.04% | 240 | 12.42% |
| 1928 | 2,705 | 63.87% | 1,472 | 34.76% | 58 | 1.37% |
| 1932 | 1,280 | 30.67% | 2,894 | 69.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 1,455 | 29.44% | 3,487 | 70.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 1,983 | 27.87% | 5,131 | 72.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 2,218 | 32.80% | 4,544 | 67.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 3,371 | 44.30% | 2,766 | 36.35% | 1,473 | 19.36% |
| 1952 | 9,055 | 66.40% | 4,583 | 33.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 11,904 | 68.82% | 5,394 | 31.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 16,462 | 65.13% | 8,814 | 34.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 17,147 | 56.74% | 13,074 | 43.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 18,247 | 52.51% | 8,286 | 23.85% | 8,214 | 23.64% |
| 1972 | 32,664 | 79.79% | 8,058 | 19.68% | 218 | 0.53% |
| 1976 | 29,300 | 53.90% | 24,342 | 44.78% | 718 | 1.32% |
| 1980 | 40,535 | 61.81% | 21,679 | 33.06% | 3,362 | 5.13% |
| 1984 | 55,793 | 72.75% | 20,889 | 27.24% | 6 | 0.01% |
| 1988 | 51,187 | 65.53% | 26,624 | 34.08% | 302 | 0.39% |
| 1992 | 42,725 | 42.63% | 33,841 | 33.77% | 23,654 | 23.60% |
| 1996 | 44,136 | 45.56% | 41,891 | 43.24% | 10,851 | 11.20% |
| 2000 | 58,023 | 52.58% | 49,226 | 44.61% | 3,095 | 2.80% |
| 2004 | 81,318 | 56.62% | 61,262 | 42.66% | 1,041 | 0.72% |
| 2008 | 80,721 | 52.94% | 70,034 | 45.93% | 1,712 | 1.12% |
| 2012 | 85,627 | 55.65% | 66,503 | 43.22% | 1,736 | 1.13% |
| 2016 | 101,944 | 56.40% | 71,224 | 39.40% | 7,589 | 4.20% |
| 2020 | 124,987 | 57.47% | 90,166 | 41.46% | 2,319 | 1.07% |
| 2024 | 140,486 | 61.13% | 86,674 | 37.72% | 2,652 | 1.15% |
| Office | Senator | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 Senator | Marco Rubio | Republican |
| Class 1 Senator | Rick Scott | Republican |
| District | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Florida's 16th Congressional District | Vern Buchanan | Republican |
| District | Senator | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Jim Boyd | Republican |
| 22 | Joe Gruters | Republican |
| District | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | Michael Owen | Republican |
| 71 | Will Robinson | Republican |
| 72 | Bill Conerly | Republican |
The Board of Commissioners includes the following:[72]
| Position | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| District 1 | Carol Ann Felts |
| District 2 | Amanda Ballard |
| District 3 | Tal Siddique |
| District 4 | Mike Rahn |
| District 5 | Bob McCann |
| District 6[note 1] | Jason Bearden |
| District 7[note 1] | George Kruse (Chair) |
| Manatee County School Board[73] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Incumbent | Term ends |
| District 1 | Heather Felton | November 2028 |
| District 2 | Cindy Spray | November 2026 |
| District 3 | Charlie Kennedy | November 2028 |
| District 4 | Chad Choate III | November 2026 |
| District 5 | Richard Tatem | November 2026 |
| 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[74] | Scott Farrington | Republican | 2024 | |
| Tax Collector[75] | Ken Burton, Jr | Republican | 1992 | |
Information as of November 4, 2025.[76]
| Voter registration and party enrollment | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of voters | Percentage | |||
| Republican | 135,990 | 49.65% | |||
| Democratic | 65,699 | 23.99% | |||
| Others | 72,184 | 26.36% | |||
| Total | 273,873 | 100% | |||
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Municipalities and communities ofManatee County, Florida,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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