From Tampa we drove south and camped in Brendenton, still in the gulf coast. Our campground was a mobile home community with sites for temporary rentals. It was called Winterfest Manatee. It was fine, except it had no WIFI, contrary to its advertisement.
We toured Brandenton and Sarasota, as well as Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. We liked Port Charlotte most of all. In particular an area called Grassy Point, where there were plenty of houses with wide canals.
See pictures below.