Two canoes crossing open water between forested points in the Boundary Waters

Updated August 2026

Biggest Lake in Florida: Lake Okeechobee (467,200 acres)

Lake Okeechobee is Florida's largest lake per the South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District. Below: 50 Florida lakes ranked by surface area.

The largest lake in Florida is Lake Okeechobee at 467,200 acres , in Okeechobee, Glades, Hendry, Martin, and Palm Beach County, according to the South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District.

Lake Okeechobee isn't in our water-quality index — we grade lakes with enough EPA Water Quality Portal samples to score, which leaves out many large reservoirs and border waters. The ranking below covers the 50 Florida lakes with nutrient and algae readings, led by Lake Seminole.

Source: South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District (2026-07-30). The table below ranks the Florida lakes in our own index by surface area.

Lakes with area data

37,500

Largest (acres)

999

Median of top 50

10/50

Reservoirs (vs natural)

Reading Florida's size profile

Florida's largest lake by surface area is Lake Seminole in Jackson County, spanning 37,500 acres. Most of Florida's biggest waters are natural basins left by glaciers, with stable shorelines and deep main basins.

Surface area is a poor proxy for water quality on its own — a large lake can hold a clean, deep core and a nutrient-loaded bay at the same time. Each lake below links to its full page with nutrient readings, clarity, depth, and EPA impairment status. Area figures come from state DNR surveys and the USACE National Inventory of Dams; water-quality readings come from EPA and state monitoring data.

The 50 biggest lakes in Florida by surface area

#	Lake	County	Surface area	Max depth
1	Lake Seminole	Jackson	37,500 acres	-
2	Mud Bay	Monroe	30,865 acres	-
3	Rod Res Dam East Lake	Putnam	7,807 acres	-
4	Lake Worth	Palm Beach	7,328 acres	-
5	Raulerson Prairie	Monroe	5,059 acres	-
6	Deerpoint Lake	Bay	4,700 acres	-
7	Oyster Bay	Monroe	4,580 acres	-
8	Lake Rousseau	Citrus	4,060 acres	-
9	Puzzle Lake	Seminole	3,710 acres	-
10	Taylor Creek Reservoir	Osceola	3,127 acres	-
11	Dead Lake	Gulf	2,985 acres	-
12	Plrvvillacity Lake	Lake	2,442 acres	-
13	Lake Manatee	Manatee	2,200 acres	-
14	West Lake	Miami-Dade	2,086 acres	-
15	Lake Smart	Polk	1,820 acres	-
16	Right Arm Lochloosa Lake	Alachua	1,814 acres	-
17	Ledwith Lake	Alachua	1,774 acres	-
18	Little Lake George	Putnam	1,529 acres	-
19	Seven Palm Lake	Miami-Dade	1,453 acres	-
20	Lake Conlin	Osceola	1,414 acres	-
21	Lowry Lake	Clay	1,248 acres	-
22	Tarpon Creek	Monroe	1,107 acres	-
23	Konomac Lake	Volusia	1,080 acres	-
24	Bear Lake	Monroe	1,028 acres	-
25	Cuthbert Lake	Miami-Dade	1,004 acres	-
26	Lake Jackson	Osceola	999 acres	-
27	Lake Ingraham	Monroe	952 acres	-
28	Lake Lowery	Polk	893 acres	12 ft
29	Lake Henry	Polk	861 acres	-
30	Foshalee Lake	Leon	788 acres	-
31	Lake Russell	Osceola	746 acres	-
32	Gooski Prairie	Marion	709 acres	-
33	Indian Lake Prairie	Marion	696 acres	-
34	Lake Preston	Osceola	691 acres	-
35	Sanibel Bayou	Lee	676 acres	-
36	Priest Prairie	Levy	675 acres	-
37	Loughman Lake	Brevard	654 acres	3 ft
38	Chunky Pond	Levy	643 acres	-
39	Tuscawilla Lake	Alachua	638 acres	-
40	Lake Brooklyn	Clay	634 acres	40 ft
41	Fowlers Prairie	Putnam	602 acres	-
42	Bay Lake	Orange	579 acres	-
43	Lake Myrtle	Osceola	561 acres	-
44	Foshalee Slough	Leon	557 acres	-
45	Monroe Lake	Miami-Dade	553 acres	-
46	Lake Tracy	Lake	549 acres	-
47	Taylor Slough	Miami-Dade	545 acres	-
48	Lake Crosby	Bradford	534 acres	-
49	Lake Gibson	Polk	474 acres	-
50	Tiller Mill Lake	Washington	474 acres	-

Get updates on Florida's largest lakes

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest lake in Florida?

Lake Okeechobee, at 467,200 acres, in Okeechobee, Glades, Hendry, Martin, and Palm Beach County. Source: South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District, 2026-07-30.

How is lake surface area measured?

Surface area comes from state DNR lake surveys and, for reservoirs, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Inventory of Dams records. Area is reported in acres at normal pool level. Reservoirs rise and fall with management and drought, so their listed area is the long-term normal rather than a single-day reading.

Are Florida's largest lakes natural or reservoirs?

Of the top 50 Florida lakes by area, 10 sit on a dammed river (reservoirs) and 40 are natural basins. Glacial states (MN, WI, MI, NY) skew natural; plains and southern states (MO, IA, ND, OH) skew toward reservoirs built for water supply, flood control, and recreation.

Do larger lakes have better water quality?

Not reliably. Quality varies more within a big lake than between lakes — a large lake can have a clean, deep main basin and a murky, algae-prone bay fed by a tributary, so one reading can mask wide swings. Depth, watershed land use, and how fast the lake flushes matter far more than raw surface area.

How big is the typical Florida lake in this ranking?

Across the top 50 Florida lakes by surface area, the median is 999 acres (Lake Jackson). This list is biased toward the biggest waters; the typical Florida lake is far smaller.

Where to stay near Florida's largest lakes

Planning a trip? Jump to live cabin, resort, and hotel availability near Florida's biggest lakes.

Deepest lakes in Florida →Cleanest lakes in Florida →Largest lakes (all states) →All Florida lakes →