Skip to content
Join

Sarasota County,through time.

5 eras · 1867–2026 · every fact sourced · compiled from the sources shown, not yet reviewed by a historian

Start in 1867
Populationfrom 1970

—

Homesteads and Winter Resorts

1867–1920: Homesteads and Winter Resorts

Era 1 · 1867–1920

Homesteads and Winter Resorts

Northern settlers such as the Webb family homesteaded on Little Sarasota Bay at what became Osprey, in an area that was still part of Manatee County. Small communities followed, including Englewood, platted by the Nichols brothers in 1896.

Key moments

  1. Webb family settles at today's Osprey

    John and Eliza Webb travelled from Utica, New York, to the shore of Little Sarasota Bay, then part of Manatee County, and homesteaded at what is now Historic Spanish Point.

    Source

    1. The Future Was Female (Eliza Webb), Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Osprey gets its name and post office

    John Webb was appointed postmaster and named the area around his winter resort Osprey.

    Source

    1. The first post office opens today, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. Nichols brothers plat Englewood

    Herbert, Howard and Ira Nichols laid out the town of Englewood on Lemon Bay.

    Source

    1. Englewood History, Lemon Bay Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
1 more from this era

  1. Bertha Palmer buys land at Spanish Point

    Chicago's Bertha Palmer bought part of the Webb homestead, beginning her large land holdings in the area.

    Source

    1. The Future Was Female (Eliza Webb), Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. The Future Was Female (Eliza Webb), Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. Englewood History, Lemon Bay Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Homesteads and Winter Resorts

Era 2 · 1921–1929

A New County in the Land Boom

Sarasota County was carved out of Manatee County in 1921 after residents complained about roads and tax dollars. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers built Venice, John Ringling brought the circus's winter quarters, the Tamiami Trail opened in 1928, and Palmer Farms turned the Celery Fields into one of the state's leading celery producers.

Image shown for this era: Black-and-white interior of a small wooden chapel: rows of pews facing a decorated pulpit with palm fronds, garlands and pointed-arch windows; handwritten caption at the bottom. 1925 · State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (via Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. Voters approve the new county

    Voters in six precincts of southern Manatee County approved creating Sarasota County, 518 to 154.

    Source

    1. Sarasota County Centennial: Start of county was contentious, Your Observer (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Sarasota County is formed from southern Manatee County

    After years of petitioning by business leaders unhappy with roads and the use of their tax dollars, the Legislature approved the split from Manatee County in May 1921, and Sarasota County officially came into existence on July 1, 1921.

    Source

    1. Sarasota County Marks Its Centennial This Year, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers builds Hotel Venice

    The union that founded Venice opened the 100-room Hotel Venice, its first building in the planned city.

    Source

    1. Venice walking tour offers a peek into the city's history, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)
2 more from this era

  1. Circus chooses Sarasota for winter quarters

    John Ringling announced that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey would winter in Sarasota.

    Source

    1. Life is a circus, at least in Sarasota, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Tamiami Trail opens

    The highway linking Tampa and Miami opened, running through Sarasota County by way of Venice and Englewood.

    Source

    1. Tamiami Tales, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Sarasota County Centennial: Start of county was contentious, Your Observer (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. Growing Up: A glimpse into Sarasota's rich agricultural history, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)
  3. Venice walking tour offers a peek into the city's history, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: A New County in the Land Boom

Era 3 · 1930–1945

Depression and the Making of Myakka

During the Depression the state acquired thousands of acres in the Myakka River valley, and Civilian Conservation Corps crews built what became Myakka River State Park, dedicated in 1941. In Venice, the Hotel Venice became home to the Kentucky Military Institute from 1933.

Image shown for this era: Long straight rows of celery stretching to a flat horizon, with two farm workers bending over the plants in the middle distance. 1930 · State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. State acquires Myakka lands

    With the state holding foreclosed land near Lower Myakka Lake, it bought more than 17,000 acres from the Palmer estate, and the Palmer sons donated more land, forming the core of a future park.

    Source

    1. Into the Wild: The making of Myakka River State Park, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Myakka River State Park dedicated

    The park built by Civilian Conservation Corps crews was dedicated, opening to the public in June 1942.

    Source

    1. Into the Wild: The making of Myakka River State Park, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Into the Wild: The making of Myakka River State Park, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. Venice walking tour offers a peek into the city's history, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Depression and the Making of Myakka

Era 4 · 1946–1999

Postwar Growth and New Towns

New municipalities formed across the county: Longboat Key incorporated in 1955 and General Development Corporation's North Port Charlotte in 1959, renamed North Port by its voters in 1974. The circus moved its winter quarters from Sarasota to Venice in 1960.

Image shown for this era: Color photo of an open-sided roadside snack bar with a diamond-patterned "snack bar" sign, yellow walls, a pink counter and a woman in a dress at the counter under a blue sky. 1955 · Joseph Janney Steinmetz, State Library & Archives of Florida · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. Longboat Key incorporates

    Voters on the barrier island, which lies in both Sarasota and Manatee counties, chose to incorporate as a town.

    Source

    1. For 70 years, Longboat has always been Longboat, Your Observer (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. North Port Charlotte incorporated

    General Development Corporation's community in southern Sarasota County was incorporated as North Port Charlotte.

    Source

    1. From Development to Community: The People Who Built North Port, City of North Port (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. Circus leaves Sarasota for Venice

    The circus train left Sarasota's winter quarters for the last time; when the show returned, it wintered in its new home in Venice.

    Source

    1. Venice Winter Quarters, Ringling Docents (accessed 2026-11-09)
1 more from this era

  1. North Port Charlotte becomes North Port

    Voters renamed their city North Port, dropping "Charlotte" from the name.

    Source

    1. From Development to Community: The People Who Built North Port, City of North Port (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. For 70 years, Longboat has always been Longboat, Your Observer (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. From Development to Community: The People Who Built North Port, City of North Port (accessed 2026-11-09)
  3. Life is a circus, at least in Sarasota, Historical Society of Sarasota County (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Postwar Growth and New Towns

Era 5 · 2000–2026

A Second Century of Growth and Storms

The county marked its centennial in 2021 and counted 434,006 residents in the 2020 Census. Hurricane Ian's Myakka River flooding closed part of I-75 in southern Sarasota County in 2022, and Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key in October 2024.

Image shown for this era: Drone view of Caspersen Beach in Venice: a boardwalk through dense coastal trees and palms leads to a long sandy beach with a rock-lined shore and calm turquoise Gulf water. 2018 · Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · Source

Key moments

  1. Hurricane Ian floods the Myakka

    Flooding from the Myakka River during Hurricane Ian shut down part of Interstate 75 in southern Sarasota County.

    Source

    1. Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (AL092022), NOAA National Hurricane Center (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Siesta Key

    Milton came ashore on Siesta Key as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing hurricane conditions from Clearwater Beach south to near Venice.

    Source

    1. Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Milton (AL142024), NOAA National Hurricane Center (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Sarasota County Marks Its Centennial This Year, Sarasota Magazine (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (AL092022), NOAA National Hurricane Center (accessed 2026-11-09)
  3. Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Milton (AL142024), NOAA National Hurricane Center (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: A Second Century of Growth and Storms

Then & Now

Sarasota County, 1921 to 2026

Sarasota County is formed from southern Manatee County · drag to compare

Black-and-white interior of a small wooden chapel: rows of pews facing a decorated pulpit with palm fronds, garlands and pointed-arch windows; handwritten caption at the bottom
Drone view of Caspersen Beach in Venice: a boardwalk through dense coastal trees and palms leads to a long sandy beach with a rock-lined shore and calm turquoise Gulf water
19212026

Then image1925 · State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (via Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain · Source

Now image2018 · Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · Source

Help us get it right

History is never finished.

This timeline is compiled from the public records cited on each era and event. Every quote is checked against its source automatically, and items marked Reviewed have also been checked by a person. Images are public domain or openly licensed, each with its credit. If you know something we’ve missed or got wrong, or you hold records of your own, we’d like to hear from you.

Something missing or incorrect? Correct it hereHistorical society or institution? Partner with us

See what’s happening in Sarasota County today →