Editing Manatee County, Florida (section)

=== County formation and development === 
Manatee County was carved out from a vast [[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough County]] in January 1855 and led by [[Florida Senate]] President [[Hamlin Valentine Snell|Hamlin V. Snell]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Smith, Jr. |first=Gilbert A. |title=Lawyers & Legends of Manatee County: The History of Lawyers in Manatee County from 1855-2012 |publisher=Johnson Printing, Bradenton, FL |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-615-74080-5 |pages=}}</ref>  The new county covered 5,000 square miles and included all of what are now [[Charlotte County, Florida|Charlotte County]], [[DeSoto County, Florida|DeSoto County]], [[Glades County, Florida|Glades County]], [[Hardee County, Florida|Hardee County]], [[Highlands County, Florida|Highlands County]], [[Sarasota County, Florida|Sarasota County]], and part of [[Lee County, Florida|Lee County]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Pioneer Life in Manatee County|url = https://www.mymanatee.org/home/government/departments/community-services/kids-pages/our-history/pioneer-life.html|website = www.mymanatee.org|access-date = January 25, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160201151358/https://www.mymanatee.org/home/government/departments/community-services/kids-pages/our-history/pioneer-life.html|archive-date = February 1, 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Manatee County Sheriffs Office: 1855-2005 150th Anniversary History and Pictorial |date=2005 |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |location=United States |page=7}}</ref> 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 to [[Pine Level, DeSoto County, Florida|Pine Level]], as a result of a referendum mandated by the Florida Legislature.<ref name=":1" />  In 1887, the county seat was moved again due to the creation of [[DeSoto County, Florida|DeSoto County]] within the existing boundaries.<ref name=":2" />  Braiden Town ([[Bradenton, Florida|Bradenton]]) was selected as the new county seat by referendum of the county residents who mostly resided near the Manatee River.<ref name=":1" /> In 1921, Sarasota County was created by the [[Florida Legislature]] and further reducing Manatee County to its current boundaries.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Morris |first=Allen |title=The Florida Handbook 1997-1998 |publisher=The Peninsular Publishing Company, Tallahassee, FL |year=1997 |edition=26th Biennial |pages=}}</ref>