(big water) , image = Myakka River.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Myakka River in El Jobean , image_alt = , map = Myakkarivermap.png , map_size = 200px , map_caption = Map of Myakka River in Florida , map_alt = , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_size = , pushpin_map_caption= , pushpin_map_alt = , subdivision_type1 = Country , subdivision_name1 =

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, subdivision_type2 = State , subdivision_name2 =

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, subdivision_type3 = Counties , subdivision_name3 =

Manatee Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living speci ...

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, subdivision_type4 = District , subdivision_name4 =

Southwest Florida Water Management District The Southwest Florida Water Management District (or SWFWMD, pronounced as "swiftmud" based on the word acronym), is one of five regional agencies directed by Florida state law to protect and preserve water resources. Established in 1961 the agenc ...

, subdivision_type5 = , subdivision_name5 = , length = , width_min = , width_avg = , width_max = , depth_min = , depth_avg = , depth_max = , discharge1_location= , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , discharge1_max = , source1 = , source1_location = , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , mouth =

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, mouth_location = Charlotte Harbor , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Myakka River Watershed , basin_size = , basin_landmarks =

Myakka River State Park Myakka River State Park is a Florida State Park, that is located east of Interstate 75 in Sarasota County and a portion of southeastern Manatee County on the Atlantic coastal plain. This state park consists of , making it one of the state's l ...

, T. Mabry Carlton Reserve, Snook Haven,

Deer Prairie Creek Preserve Deer Prairie Creek Preserve is a natural area with of trail in unincorporated Sarasota County, Florida, USA, around along the Myakka River. History The land was acquired between 2000 and 2004 through a partnership between Sarasota County’s ...

Jelks Preserve Jelks Preserve is a natural preserve with of trail along the Myakka River in southern Sarasota County, Florida. History The land was purchased in 1999 via the one percent county sales tax and a donation from the Jelks Family Foundation (names ...

Myakka State Forest The Myakka State Forest is in the U.S. state of Florida. The forest is located on the southwest coast, in North Port. See also *List of Florida state forests Florida's state forests are state forests overseen by the Florida Forest Service. T ...

, Myakka Park , basin_population = 72,317 , tributaries_left = , tributaries_right = , waterbodies =

Lake Myakka Myakka City (also Myakka) is an unincorporated community in southeastern Manatee County, Florida, United States. It lies along State Road 70 near the city of Bradenton, the county seat of Manatee County. Its elevation is , and it is located at ...

, waterfalls = , bridges = , ports = , custom_label = , custom_data = , extra = The Myakka River is a river in southwestern

. It arises near the Hardee-

county line and flows southwest and then southeast through Manatee,

and

counties to Charlotte Harbor, an arm of the

. The river is long and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

of 602 square miles (1559.2 km²), of which lies in Sarasota county. The last of the river is

tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

. The Myakka River remains relatively undeveloped. A stretch of the river is preserved in

. A portion of the river in Sarasota County (including all of the park) was designated as a state ''Wild and Scenic River'' in 1985 by the Florida Legislature. Portions of the ancient water basin, however, have been altered by canals. In 2022, the river flooding during Hurricane Ian resulted in the temporary closing of 14 miles of

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

near Port Charlotte.Meg Kinnard, Adriana Gomez Licon, ''et al''. (1 October 2022). "Dozens dead from Ian, one of strongest, costliest US storms"
AP website
Retrieved 1 October 2022.

Tributaries

Myakkahatchee Creek (the river of the big water - Myakka River) , image = , image_caption = , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_size = , pushpin_map_caption= , ...

References

* Dorsey, Tim and Barry, Rick. 1990. Myakka River. in Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds. ''The Rivers of Florida''. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc. . Rivers of Charlotte County, Florida Rivers of Manatee County, Florida Rivers of Florida Rivers of Sarasota County, Florida Outstanding Florida Waters {{Florida-river-stub