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Florida State...
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Florida Counties
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Florida Counties
In 1821, there were only two counties in Florida: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the
east. From these two counties were formed 67 today. In 1968, the electors
of Florida granted local voters the power to adopt charters to govern their counties. Charters are formal
written documents that confer powers, duties, or privileges on the county.
To date, there are 19 charter counties in Florida. Collectively these
counties are home to more than 75 percent of Florida's residents.
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Sarasota County, Florida
Sarasota County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Sarasota
Year Organized: 1921
Square Miles: 572 |
Court House: PO Box 8
County Courthouse
Sarasota, FL 34230-0008
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
from Calusa Indian language, meaning not known, but perhaps
"Point of Rocks".
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Sarasota County was created in 1921. The origin of the name is unknown. It may be named for a word in the indigenous
Calusa language, whose meaning may be "point of rocks" or "Place of the Dance." Some believe it was named after the
daughter of famous explorer Hernando de Soto's daughter Sara. According the Florida League of Cities, the name first
appeared in print as "Zarazote" on a 1763 land grant map.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 725 square miles (1,878 kmē), of which, 572
square miles (1,480 kmē) of it is land and 154 square miles (398 kmē) of it (21.19%) is water.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Manatee County
- East: DeSoto County
- Southeast: Charlotte County
- Southwest: Gulf of Mexico
Cities and Towns:
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- North Port |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Sarasota
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Venice |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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