[7] Samuel Sparks Lamb was from Clarke County, Mississippi, and arrived in the area near the Manatee River in 1868 establishing Palmetto.

[10] In 1902 with the arrival of the railroad, the center of town moved from the waterfront to the Seaboard Air Line train station, served by the Sarasota Branch from Turkey Creek near Plant City through Palmetto to "Bradentown" and Sarasota.

Compiled during the late 1930s and first published in 1939, the Federal Writers' Project's Florida guide listed Palmetto's population as 3,043 and described it as:on the north bank of the Manatee River, has low frame-and-brick business buildings and numerous clapboard houses.

In 1974, the property was almost sold for residential development, but the company backed out due to the economic recession that was occurring.

The site's master plan contained a nationwide motel chain with a restaurant, high-rise apartments along the Manatee River, single-family houses, and a shopping center built around a lake created from mining activities.

[1] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,323 people, 4,715 households, and 3,043 families residing in the city.

[20] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 12,606 people, 5,537 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city.

The city commission has the power to elect a vice-mayor who serves for a one-year term.

[citation needed] The metro area has TV broadcasting stations that serve the Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Sarasota (DMA) as defined by Nielsen Media Research.