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Though the WPA field workers included extensive citations for the factual information contained in these county histories, it should be noted that these historical narratives were produced in the 1930s by federal government employees, and might reflect the inherent social biases of the era.
1. HISTORICAL SKETCH
Sarasota county lies along the Gulf coast of the southern peninsula of Florida. In topography it is comparatively level and of but slight surface elevation, the altitude ranging from sea level at the coast to about 60 feet above sea level in the northeast part of the county. Most of the land lies less than 35 feet above sea level, while the long, narrow islands, or keys, which extend parallel to the coast and are separated from the mainland by shallow bays, are not more than 15 feet in elevation. The county is traversed by the Myakka River, which rises in Manatee county and flows southwestward to a point within a few miles of the Gulf coast and thence southeastward into Charlotte Harbor. Several creeks in the western part of the county rise only a few miles inland and flow into the bays along the coast. Tributary to these streams are shallow drainage lines or sloughs which range from a few feet to as much as a mile in width. During wet seasons these sloughs, which are seldom entirely dry, afford sluggish drainage for contiguous territory.(1)
Average annual precipitation in the county ranges from 50 to 55 inches in the south and southeast to between 55 and 60 inches in the north and northwest. Rainfall is seasonal, however, the average precipitation from June to September being from two to three or more times as great as in any other months. The mean annual temperature is about 71 degrees, Fahrenheit, while the mean monthly temperature ranges from the low 60’s in the coldest months to around 80 degrees in midsummer. Killing frosts may be experienced from late in December until early in March.(2)
Along the Myakka River are some hammock lands. The remainder of the county is divided between open pine woods with a saw-palmetto undergrowth and open prairie interspersed with small hammock and pine islands.(3) In the western part of the county are lowlands underlaid by peat or muck soils that are well adapted to truck farming.(4)
This area apparently was originally held by the Calusa,(5) although the exact territorial limits of the early Florida Indian tribes cannot be stated definitely. It seems to have been only sparsely inhabited, however, as few sand and shell mounds are to be found along the coast.(6) For several centuries its flat, sandy, and often swampy, terrain held forth no greater attractions for whites than for natives. As late as
1. V.T. Stringfield, “Groundwater Resources of Sarasota County, Florida,” in Fla. State Geol. Survey, Annual Report, 1930-1932, p. 128.
2. Ibid., pp, 129-130.
3. John P. Wall, “Southwest Florida,” in the Semi Tropical, vol. II (Feb. 1876), p. 104; South Florida, Tallahassee, n. d., p.78.
4. Stringfield, loc. cit., p.126.
5. Ales Hrdlicka, Anthropology of Florida, DeLand, 1922, pp. 58-59; Daniel G. Brinton, Notes on the Floridian Peninsula, Philadelphia, 1859, p.113.
6. Ibid., p. 171; George C. Matson, and Frederick C. Clapp, “A Preliminary Report on the Geology of Florida,” in Fla. State Geol. Survey, Annual Report, 1908-09, p. 160.
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1. HISTORICAL SKETCH
Sarasota county lies along the Gulf coast of the southern peninsula of Florida. In topography it is comparatively level and of but slight surface elevation, the altitude ranging from sea level at the coast to about 60 feet above sea level in the northeast part of the county. Most of the land lies less than 35 feet above sea level, while the long, narrow islands, or keys, which extend parallel to the coast and are separated from the mainland by shallow bays, are not more than 15 feet in elevation. The county is traversed by the Myakka River, which rises in Manatee county and flows southwestward to a point within a few miles of the Gulf coast and thence southeastward into Charlotte Harbor. Several creeks in the western part of the county rise only a few miles inland and flow into the bays along the coast. Tributary to these streams are shallow drainage lines or sloughs which range from a few feet to as much as a mile in width. During wet seasons these sloughs, which are seldom entirely dry, afford sluggish drainage for contiguous territory.(1)
Average annual precipitation in the county ranges from 50 to 55 inches in the south and southeast to between 55 and 60 inches in the north and northwest. Rainfall is seasonal, however, the average precipitation from June to September being from two to three or more times as great as in any other months. The mean annual temperature is about 71 degrees, Fahrenheit, while the mean monthly temperature ranges from the low 60’s in the coldest months to around 80 degrees in midsummer. Killing frosts may be experienced from late in December until early in March.(2)
Along the Myakka River are some hammock lands. The remainder of the county is divided between open pine woods with a saw-palmetto undergrowth and open prairie interspersed with small hammock and pine islands.(3) In the western part of the county are lowlands underlaid by peat or muck soils that are well adapted to truck farming.(4)
This area apparently was originally held by the Calusa,(5) although the exact territorial limits of the early Florida Indian tribes cannot be stated definitely. It seems to have been only sparsely inhabited, however, as few sand and shell mounds are to be found along the coast.(6) For several centuries its flat, sandy, and often swampy, terrain held forth no greater attractions for whites than for natives. As late as
1. V.T. Stringfield, “Groundwater Resources of Sarasota County, Florida,” in Fla. State Geol. Survey, Annual Report, 1930-1932, p. 128.
2. Ibid., pp, 129-130.
3. John P. Wall, “Southwest Florida,” in the Semi Tropical, vol. II (Feb. 1876), p. 104; South Florida, Tallahassee, n. d., p.78.
4. Stringfield, loc. cit., p.126.
5. Ales Hrdlicka, Anthropology of Florida, DeLand, 1922, pp. 58-59; Daniel G. Brinton, Notes on the Floridian Peninsula, Philadelphia, 1859, p.113.
6. Ibid., p. 171; George C. Matson, and Frederick C. Clapp, “A Preliminary Report on the Geology of Florida,” in Fla. State Geol. Survey, Annual Report, 1908-09, p. 160.
5
Historical Sketch
(First entry, p. 47)
1876 a visitor to Manatee county, of which this section was then a part, stated that it was extremely doubtful if the major part of the county could ever be utilized for any purpose other than cattle raising. (7)
The Sarasota section attracted few settlers in the second and third quarters of the nineteenth century. Like other parts of the public domain, it was not open to settlement until after survey, which did not begin here until 1843. Samuel Reid ran the township lines in 1843 and 1844. Most of the townships in the western part of the county were sectioned in 1847 by A.H. Jones, while the remainder were sectioned in 1849 by John Jackson and J.M. Irwin.(8) The first permanent white settler in the area was William H. Whitaker, who in 1844 staked out 199 acres of government land near Sarasota as a homestead. He was later joined by his half brother, Simon V. Snell.(9) Sarasota at that time was a Seminole village of some 30 or 40 persons situated at or near the site of the present town of that name.(10) The village of Miakka on the lower Myakka River was settled by stockmen about 1850.(11) Settlement was hazardous, however, until the close of the Seminole Indian Wars, and was further retarded by the outbreak of the War between the States.
In the years prior to 1885 settlers trickled into the Sarasota county area from the northern states as well as from the more populous settlements on the Manatee River and in north Florida. Among the better known early settlers were John W. Webb, of Utica, New York, who homesteaded a few miles south of Sarasota at some time in the 1860's, and Jesse Knight, a cattleman who settled in the area in 1868.(12) General John Riggin established his home east of Sarasota in 1876 and became a prominent orange grower of the section,(13) and in the following year Charles E. Abbe removed his family from Kansas and started a store in Sarasota.(14) By 1878 the section was populous enough to warrant establishment of a post office at Sarasota and Abbe was appointed postmaster.(15)
A new era of development began with the coming of the Scotch colony in 1885. The Florida Mortgage and Investment Company of Edinburgh, Scotland, represented in Florida by P.E. Warburton and J. Hamilton Gillespie, purchased 60,000 acres of land in Manatee county and selected Sarasota as the nucleus of its development. Not only did the company bring over a small colony of Scotch families, but it exploited two
7. Wall, loc. cit., p. 105.
8. "Manatee County, Florida", ms. plat book, passim.
9. Lillie B. McDuffie, The Lures of Manatee, Nashville, 1933, p. 227.
10. Frederick Webb Hodge (ed.), Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, Bureau of Am. Ethn., Bulletin 30, pt. 2, Washington, 1910, p. 466.
11. Wanton S. Webb, Historical, Industrial and Biographical Florida, New York, 1885, p. 73.
12. McDuffie, op. cit., p.207.
13. Ibid., p. 227.
14. Ibid., p. 237.
15. Letter of J.M. Donaldson, P.O. Dept., Washington, D.C., to The Sarasota Tribune, Aug. 13, 1936.
6
(First entry, p. 47)
Historical Sketch
of the section's chief resources, its climate and recreation facilities. Transportation facilities were provided by the "Company" steamer Sarasota, which connected at Palma Sola with the steamer Margaret for Tampa; the large DeSoto Hotel was built, and a golf course, said to be the first in the United States, was laid out by Gillespie. The Sarasota area experienced its first boom. Tourists were attracted in numbers and many became permanent settlers.(16)
Under the impetus of this development the Sarasota section became politically self-conscious. Manatee county at that time embraced the area now divided into the seven counties of Manatee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Charlotte, Hardee, Glades, and Highlands,(17) with the county seat at Pine Level in what is now DeSoto county.(18) Outlying portions of the county had little representation in county affairs, and in the Sarasota section law enforcement was mainly by the self-appointed Sarasota Vigilante Association.(19) These conditions caused agitation for division of the county, which resulted, in 1887, in the creation of DeSoto county from Manatee,(20) and the removal of the county seat of the latter to the town of Manatee. The new county seat was much more conveniently located for the Sarasota section, which remained in Manatee county.
The continued influx of tourists in the first two decades of the twentieth century and extensive investments by the Potter Palmer and Ringling interests in southern Manatee county resulted in agitation for further division of the county. This was effected in 1921, when Sarasota county was created by an act of the Florida legislature of March 14, 1921.(21) Sarasota was temporarily designated as the county seat,(22) and an election on November 18, 1924, established it as the permanent county seat.
Whether the new county was named for its most important town or for the bay of the same name on its norther coast is not clear. Nor is the origin of the name satisfactorily established. The name appears as early as 1774, "Boca Sarazota" being shown on Bernard Roman's map of that date.(23) Apparently it is of Spanish rather than Indian origin, as it is not listed by William A. Read in Florida Place-Names of Indian Origin, but no authoritative explanation of its derivation has been advanced.
The county, whose area has not been changed since its creation, is bounded on the north, east, and south by Manatee, DeSoto, and Charlotte
16. Manatee River Advocate, Dec. 23, 1886; Sarasota Times, Feb. 16, 1911; H.C. Cutler, History of Florida, Chicago and New York, 1923, vol. II, p. 316.
17. Acts, 1887, ch. 3770; Acts, 1921, chs. 8513, 8515.
18. McDuffie, op. cit., p. 202.
19. Manatee River Advocate, Sept. 16, 1886.
20. Acts, 1887, ch. 3770.
21. Acts, 1921, ch. 8515.
22. Id.
23. P. Lee Phillips, Notes on the Life and Works of Bernard Romans, DeLand, 1924, p. 21.
7
Historical Sketch
(First entry, p. 47)
counties, respectively, and on the west by the Gulf of Mexico. Its boundaries are legally described as follows: "Beginning in the Gulf of Mexico at a point due West of the Township line between Townships thirty-five and thirty-six South, Range sixteen East; thence due East along the line between Townships thirty-five and thirty-six South, to the Southeast corner of Township thirty-six South, Range twenty East; thence South on the Range line between twenty and twenty-one to the Southwest corner of Township thirty-seven South, Range twenty-one East; thence East along the Township line to the Southeast corner of Township thirty-seven South, Range twenty-two East; thence South with the line between Ranges twenty-one and twenty-three East to the Southeast corner of Township thirty-nine South, Range twenty-two East; thence West with the line between Townships thirty-nine and forty South to the Southwest corner of Township thirty-nine South, Rnage twenty-one East to the Southeast corner of Township forty between Township forty and forty-one South to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico; thence in a Northwesterly direction with the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the point of beginning".(24)
By the act that created it, Sarasota county became a part of the first congressional district, of the twenty-seventh state senatorial district and of the sixth judicial circuit. It was allotted one member in the state house of representatives.(25) Sarasota county alone was erected into the twenty-seventh judicial circuit in 1927.(26) This circuit was abolished in 1935, and since that date the county has been a part of the twelfth judicial circuit.(27)
The following officials were appointed by Governor Cary A. Hardee to serve until the general election in 1922: county judge, W.Y. Perry; sheriff, B.D. Levi; clerk of the circuit court, O.E. Roesch; superintendent of public instruction, T.W. Yarbrough; county assessor of taxes, Charles G. Strothmeyer; tax collector, A.M. Wilson; supervisor of registration, Thomas A. Hughes; county surveyor, Charles H. Johnson; county commissioners, Frank A. Walpole, Lawrence L. May, F.J. Hayden, P.E. Buchan, Henry Hancock, board of public instruction, A.L. Joiner, Thomas L. Livermore, Guy M. Ragan.(28) E.J. Bacon was appointed justice of the peace for district 1,(29) but justice of the peace districts were not outlined by the county commissioners until 1926.(30)
The commissioners held a special meeting on July 3, 1921, at the city hall, Sarasota, to arrange for suitable temporary quarters, equipment and record books. Mr. Walpole was elected temporary chairman. A second special meeting was held on July 5, and on July 11 the first regular meeting was held, at which organization of the county government
24. Acts, 1921, ch. 8515.
25. Id.
26. Acts, 1927, ch. 12440.
27. Acts, 1935, ch. 17085.
28. Fla. Sec. of State, Biennial Report, 1921-22, p. 156.
29. Id.
30. Commissioner's Minutes, vol. 2, p. 167, see entry 1.
8
(First entry, p. 47)
Historical Sketch
was completed.(31)The population of the county in 1925, the first state census year after its creation, was 10,050.(32) Its population in 1935 was 13,787, of whom 3,410 were Negroes.(33) Of the white population, only 37.8 percent were native Floridians; 25.2 percent were natives of the southeastern states, 32.7 percent of the eastern, middle and western states, and 4.2 percent of 29 foreign countries. Seventy-one percent of the total population of the county was concentrated in the city of Sarasota, which in 1935 had a population of 9,802.(34) The remainder was located mainly along the west coast.
The west coast, as far south as Venice, is served by the Seaboard Air Line Railway, while the Atlantic Coast Line Railway traverses the northern part of the county in a southeasterly direction. The highway system consists of some 200 miles of hard surfaced roads and 100 miles of improved roads, and includes seven roads leading from the interior of the county to the beaches.(35)
Climate and recreational facilities, especially excellent ocean beaches and good fishing waters, have made Sarasota county a tourist resort, and thousands of tourists visit it annually.(36) Other tourist attractions are the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey combined circuses, which have their winter quarters at Sarasota,(37) and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, which was bequeathed to the State of Florida by John Ringling upon his death in December 1936.(38) Under an act of the 1935 legislature the Myakka River State Park has been established in the western part of the county. The park's 26,910 acres include Upper and Lower Myakka Lakes and a stretch of the Myakka River. It is notable for its variety of waterfowl and other bird life and for its tropical vegetation.(39)
While its attractions as a resort center undoubtedly are largely responsible for its development, Sarasota county is rapidly becoming an important agricultural area. General farming is only an incidental activity, the principal crops being truck and citrus. Although the number of farms in the county decreased from 254 in 1930 to 183 in 1935, the total farm acreage increased during the same period from 10,881 to 13,470 acres, with an increase in average size of farms from 42.8 to 73.6 acres.(40) Celery is the main cash crop and its importance
31. Ibid., vol. 1, pp. 2-9.
32. Sixth Census of the State of Florida, 1935, p.11.
33. Ibid., pp. 11, 69.
34. Ibid., p. 91.
35. South Florida, p. 79.
36. Id.; stringfield, loc. cit., p. 126.
37. South Florida, p. 79.
38. Acts, 1937, ch. 18131.
39. Fla. Forest and Park Service, Biennial Report, 1934-1936, pp. 49-50.
40. Farm Census Report (1935), Tallahassee, n.d., p. 118.
9
Governmental Organization and Records System - (First entry, p. 47)
Introduction
in the county's economy has steadily increased during the last decade. The shipment of this crop has increased from 286 carloads in 1926-27 to 1,588 carloads in 1936-37, making Sarasota county second only to Seminole in the production of Florida celery.(41) The value of the celery crop was $336,467 in 1929,(42) and $600,300 in 1932.(43)
Commercial and industrial activities are mainly subsidiary to agriculture. There are packing houses for citrus fruits and a large cold storage plant for vegetables, and growers have organized several cooperative associations for the marketing of their produce. The county also has a cigar factory and a tie plant.(44)
With a total area of 352,287 acres,(45) Sarasota county still has a large undeveloped backcountry. The total assessed value of real estate in 1937 was $5,939,510. Of this valuation, $1,362,620 was the assessed value of lands under tax certificates, for which taxes are not extended on the tax assessment rolls, and $1,069,540 was the assessed value of homestead exemptions. The assessed value of taxable real estate was $3,507,350.(46)
2. GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION AND RECORDS SYSTEM
Introduction
The county has existed in Florida as a local unit of government since 1821, but it has been recognized specifically by the Constitution as a political division of the state only since 1885.(1) The Constitution of 1885 gives the Legislature the power to establish new counties and to change county lines, and provides for the assumption by the new county, or the county acquiring new territory, of its proportionate part of the existing liabilities of the county or counties from which it was formed or the territory acquired.(2)
The Legislature is given the power to establish a uniform system of county government which shall be applicable except in cases where local of special laws are provided that may be inconsistent therewith.(3) However, the power of the Legislature to pass special laws for counties is limited by a prohibition of special laws relating to the jurisdiction,
41. Neill Rhodes, From Field to Market with Florida Vegetables and Citrus Fruits, Tallahassee, 1938, p.26.
42. Stringfield, loc. cit., p.146.
43. Agricultural Statistics of Florida, 1931-32, Tallahassee, 1933, pt. III, p.115.
44. South Florida, pp. 78-79.
45. Agricultural Statistics of Florida, 1931-32, pt. III, p. 8.
46. Fla. Comptroller. Annual Report, 1938, p. 197.
1. Const., 1885, Art, VIII, secs.1-2.
2. Ibid., Art. III, sec. 3.
3. Ibid., Art. III, sec. 24.
Chicago Manual of Style
Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey. Historical Sketch of Sarasota County. May 1939. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/321152>, accessed 10 March 2025.
MLA
Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey. Historical Sketch of Sarasota County. May 1939. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/321152>
AP Style Photo Citation
(State Archives of Florida/Works Progress Administration)