The 500-acre Lake Manatee State Park, located at 20007 State Road 64, Bradenton, not only is home to Manatee County's drinking water supply but also a variety of plants and animals, including bobcats, horned owls, eagles, gopher tortoises and the Florida golden aster, a plant currently only found in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hardee and Manatee counties in Florida.
