Myakka River
The Myakka River is a river in southwestern Florida. It arises near the Hardee-Manatee county line and flows southwest and then southeast through Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties to Charlotte Harbor, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. The river is 72 miles (116 km) long and has a drainage basin of 602 square miles (1559.2 km), of which 314.7 square miles (815 km) lies in Sarasota county. The last 20 miles (32 km) of the river is tidal and brackish.
The Myakka River remains relatively undeveloped. A 12-mile (19 km) stretch of the river is preserved in Myakka River State Park. A 34-mile (55 km) 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 near Port Charlotte.