Old Miakka, Florida

Old Miakka (or Old Myakka) is a census-designated place in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located at the bend of County Road 780, where it changes from running north–south to east–west. The population was 1,743 at the 2020 census. The community is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The area was named after the Myakka River which a local group of people of either Seminole (Muscogee speaking) or Miccosukee (Hitchiti speaking) descent called the "Miarca River."

The name Miakka first appeared on maps in 1845.

The U.S. Post Office for Miakka was first registered in 1879 by Augustus M. Wilson.

The Old Miakka United Methodist Church was built in 1886 on land donated by William Rawls and Augustus M. Wilson. There is a historical marker located at the church erected by the Sarasota County Historical Commission in 1982.

The Old Miakka School was constructed in 1914. There is a historical marker located at the schoolhouse erected by the Sarasota County Historical Commission in 1987.

Placename Spelling
A letter written in 1940 by W. Stanley Hanson of the Seminole Indian Association to Claude E. Ragan, Project Superintendent of the newly formed Myakka River State Park which was known as Miakka Valley State Forest & Park. The letter explains Hanson's attempt to discover the history and origin of the various spellings.

The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) ruled in December 1943 on the usage of "Old Myakka" for the spelling of the geographical name as it was "both officially and locally preferred to help distinguish it from Myakka City and vice versa."

The ruling acknowledged the spelling Miakka to be found on various official documents such as the USGS state maps, Rand McNally Atlas, and Official State Road Map.