The majority of Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve is adjacent to uplands in unincorporated Manatee County. As of 2000, the population for the county was 264,002. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 306,779, an increase of 16.2 percent. Like most of central Florida, Manatee County is expected to continue its present surge in population growth. A recent study by the University of Florida projected that Manatee County will build out to the extent that there will be limits on the ability to accommodate the population, in the time period from 2020 to 2040. As a result, demand for water, watershed pollution, impermeable surface and recreational activity may be expected to increase in the watershed of the preserve.

Much of the adjacent uplands are publicly-owned.

• Terra Ceia Preserve State Park
• Madira Bickel Mound Archaeological State Park
• Emerson Point Nature Park (managed by Manatee County)
• Washburn Sanctuary (managed by the Audubon Society)

The variety of ownerships and management entities for conservation lands in southeast Tampa Bay add administrative boundaries into an otherwise ecologically contiguous area. This makes it especially important for managing agencies and organizations to maintain effective mechanisms for planning, collaboration and communication.

• Map of Land Use Adjacent to Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve (pdf - 451 KB)
• Map of Conservation Lands near Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve (pdf - 1.25 MB)