Lake Panasoffkee, FL

Lake Panasoffkee is a small town located in Osceola County, Florida. The population was 2,914 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando- Kissimmee- Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The town of Lake Panasoffkee is located on U.S. Highway 441, which connects Orlando to Kissimmee and Sanford. The town's main businesses are tourism and real estate related to its location on one of Central Florida's most popular lakes.

Lake Panasoffkee has a long history dating back to the early 1800s when Seminole Indians used it as a hunting ground and fishing spot. In 1853, Major John Jumper purchased 640 acres of land around the lake from the Seminoles for $1,000 and built a plantation there called "Jumper's Grove." In 1884, Jumper sold his plantation to George Waring who developed it into one of Central Florida's first resorts with cottages, an hotel, tennis courts and a golf course. Waring renamed his resort "Panasoffkee" after the Indian chief who had given him permission to build on his land.

In 1906, Henry Flagler built what would become known as "The Grande Dame of Resort Hotels," Hotel Royal Palm in nearby Kissimmee on land he bought from Waring for $2 million (equivalent to over $40 million today). When World War I broke out in 1914, Flagler turned his attention from building hotels to developing railroads in support of the war effort; however he never completed construction on Hotel Royal Palm due largely to financial difficulties caused by the stock market crash that year. In 1923 ownership passed from Flagler & Co., Incorporated (the company he had founded) to The Standard Oil Company which operated it as an exclusive resort until 1957 when it was sold again - this time to Holiday Inn Corporation who renamed it "The Grande Dame."

In 1974 local developer Tom Dreesen purchased 1,000 acres around Lake Panasoffkee with plans for a new development called "Tower Lakes." However these plans were never realized and by 1990 much of the property had been subdivided into residential lots or sold off individually as vacation homes or second homes. Today much of Tower Lakes remains undeveloped but there are still some remnants visible including portions of Dreesen's original planned community layout including streets named after famous hotels such as The Ritz Carlton and Waldorf Astoria (now closed).

In recent years tourism has become Lake Panasoffkee's main economic driver with visitors coming primarily for its proximity to Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort as well as its many recreational opportunities including boating, fishing, swimming ,golfing , hiking , biking , horseback riding , kayaking etc.. As a result real estate prices have increased significantly relative both within Lake Panasoffkee itself as well as within surrounding communities such as Winter Park .