Hardee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Its county seat is Wauchula, Florida. Hardee County was created in 1921 and was named for Cary A. Hardee, Governor of Florida from 1921 to 1925. Hardee County has a total area of approximately 638 square miles of which 99.8% is land and 0.2% water. As of the 2000 census, there were 26,938 people, 8,166 households, and 6,255 families residing in Hardee County, FL.