Rotonda West, FL

Rotonda West is an unincorporated, deed-restricted community situated in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The 2020 U.S. Census Bureau lists it as the Rotonda census-designated place, with a population of 10,114. It is part of the Sarasota-Bradenton-Punta Gorda Combined Statistical Area. It was developed and named Rotonda West by Cavanagh Communities Corporation, which purchased the land in 1969. That developer also bought land for a projected but never developed community named Rotonda East in southern Martin County and northern Palm Beach County. The land selected for that development was swamp land and it was not considered wise to drain those wetlands due to changing views on the ecological value of wetlands, and the Army Corps of Engineers refused a permit, so the Rotonda East project was abandoned.The area was part of ranch lands prior to development for housing in the 1970s. Although the community's layout mimics that of temporary World War II airfields, there was no airfield at this location prior to the construction of the development; the land was instead part of a large cattle ranch.