On the Gulf Coast in the Tampa Bay Region of Florida, Manatee County was formed in 1855 from Hillsborough County. In 1887, the eastern part of Manatee was split off to form DeSoto County, and in 1921 the southern part was split off to form Sarasota County. Its county seat, Bradenton, is on I-75 about 35 miles south of Tampa. Manatee is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the counties of Hillsborough, Hardee, DeSoto, and Sarasota.