Manatee County is named for the Manatee River which is named after the manatee or sea cow ( Trichechus manatus ).
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Pinellas County and Hillsborough County
E – Hardee County and DeSoto County
S – Sarasota County
W – Sarasota County and Gulf of Mexico
Created: January 9, 1855 
County Seat:
Manatee 1855 – 1866
Pine Level 1866 – 1887
Bradenton 1887 – present
County Courthouse – Bradenton
Location: 1115 Manatee Avenue West / 11th Street
Built: 1913 – 1914
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: McGucken and Hyer Engineers of Tampa
Contractor: Falls City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky
Description: The building faces north and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Bradenton. The building features Doric columns, terra cotta cornices and porticos on all four elevations. The north and south sides include pediments over the porticos. The north front has a portico supported by four white colored columns rising to a pediment above the second story. The east and west sides project from the main building. There are long colonnades on the east and west side. In the interior, there was a central rotunda under the dome which was remodeled and enclosed in 1927 when the dome was removed. The former courtroom is located on the second story used to extend into the third story. The building was expanded on the south side in 1926 to 1927. The building was remodeled in 1954.
See: The contractor Falls City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Manatee County Courthouse
County Judicial Center – Bradenton
Location: 1051 Manatee Avenue West / 11th Street
Built: 2007 – 2008
Style: Modern
Architect: Helimuth, Obata & Kassabaum of Tampa and Fawley-Byrant Architects of Bradenton
Contractor: Balfour Beatty Construction LLC
Description: The building faces west and is a nine story red and buff colored concrete and glass structure. The building is located on the east side of the courthouse. in the center of Bradenton. The building has a high glass walled lobby on the northwest side under an overhanging projection. The building has square lines and small windows. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 12th Judicial Circuit and County Court.
See: The 12th Judicial District includes DeSoto County and Sarasota County.
See: The county is located in the Second Judicial District of the Court of Appeal – Second Judicial District located in Lakeland and Tampa.
Old County Courthouse – Bradenton
Location: 1404 Manatee Avenue, East / Main Street
Built: 1859 – 1860
Style: Wood Frame
Architect: Ezekiel Glazier
Contractor: Ezekiel Glazier
Description: The building faces north and is s a one story white colored wood frame structure. The building is located in the Manatee Village Historical Park and is 25 feet by 35 feet braced post and beam structure with white colored drop siding. There is a gable roof. When the building ceased being used as a courthouse in 1866, it became the Manatee Methodist Church and then the Manatee Methodist Church Parsonage.
Note: The building is the oldest surviving Florida county courthouse.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Old Manatee County Courthouse
History: The county was created in 1855. The first county seat was Manatee. The first courthouse was small wood frame courthouse built at a cost of $700 in 1859 to 1860 on land donated by Josiah and Mary Gates. The building is now located in Bradenton. In 1866 the county seat was moved to Pine Level and the second courthouse was erected. In 1887, the county seat was moved to Bradenton. The third courthouse was a two story, wood frame courthouse was built in 1892 to 1894. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1913 to 1914. The Judicial Center was constructed in 2007 to 2008.
County Administration Building – Bradenton
Location: 1112 Manatee Avenue West / 12th Street
Built: 1987 – 1989
Style: Modern
Architect: Huntington Group Architects Inc.
Contractor: Forney Engineering Inc.
Description: The building faces south and is a nine story glass and buff colored concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Bradenton. The retangular shaped building has horizontal windows. Pillars support the front with open space below the sixth story. The roof line is flat
County Courthouse - Bradenton
County Judicial Center - Bradenton
Old County Courthouse - Bradenton
County Administration Building - Bradenton
Photos taken 2009 and 2018