Manasota Key

Manasota Key is a census-designated place (CDP) consisting mainly of the community of Englewood Beach in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population of the CDP was 1,229 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.The name "Manasota Key" refers to an 11mi peninsula (transformed into a barrier island by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) that continues north into Sarasota County. The community of Englewood Beach occupies the Charlotte County portion of the key, while the Sarasota County part of the peninsula contains the community of Manasota Beach. The key continues north as Caspersen Beach, extending as far as the Venice city limits.GeographyThe Manasota Key CDP is located in the northwestern corner of Charlotte County at . As noted above, the barrier island of the same name extends north well into Sarasota County. Its western edge is the Gulf of Mexico, and to the east is Lemon Bay, an estuary. The community of Englewood Beach occupies most of the CDP, and it is connected to the mainland by Beach Road, which crosses Lemon Bay to Englewood. The southern end of the CDP, which includes Manasota Key, Peterson Island, and Whidden Key, is covered by Stump Pass Beach State Park. Stump Pass is a channel that connects Lemon Bay to the Gulf of Mexico and separates Manasota Key from Don Pedro Island to the south. Grove City is located directly to the east across Lemon Bay from the south end of Manasota Key.