Central Florida

Central Florida
Region
Central Florida Images top from bottom, left to right: Downtown Orlando Skyline, Kennedy Space Center, Walt Disney World, Downtown Tampa Skyline, Daytona International Speedway, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater Beach
Central Florida, part of the Florida megaregion
Country	United States
State	Florida
Largest city	Tampa
Population  (2020)	8,359,609

Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Greater Orlando area, though in recent times the Tampa Bay area has often been described as its own region, with "Central Florida" becoming more synonymous with the Orlando area (most notably, this is what the local news channels in each respective metro area call their region).^[1][2]

It is one of Florida's three directional regions, along with North Florida and South Florida. Under the previously mentioned "usual" definition, it includes the following 13 counties: Brevard, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia. Sometimes Ocala, which is in Marion County, was included. Although Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas are also considered to be the Tampa Bay area.