Steinhatchee is a census-designated place in Taylor County, Florida, located on the Big Bend of the Gulf Coast where the Steinhatchee River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. With fewer than 1,000 permanent residents, it is a small coastal community whose identity is inseparable from the water. It lies about 38 miles south of Perry, the Taylor County seat, and directly across the river from the community of Jena in Dixie County, roughly 90 miles south of Tallahassee. The community's economy and culture revolve around fishing and scalloping. The Steinhatchee River and the shallow Gulf waters off its mouth, known since the 1830s as Deadman Bay, support productive fisheries and scallop grounds. Anglers target redfish, trout, and flounder, while the seasonal bay scallop harvest draws boats and visitors from across the region. A marina, charter captains, and bait and tackle businesses form the core of the local economy. Steinhatchee has the character of an old Florida working waterfront rather than a developed resort. Its layout follows the river and the roads leading to the Gulf, with homes, docks, and small businesses scattered along the shoreline and inland. The permanent population is modest, swelling with anglers, boaters, and second-home owners during the fishing and scalloping seasons. The community suits those who value direct access to the Gulf, a slow coastal pace, and an outdoors-centered way of life. It is a destination for sport fishermen and scallopers rather than a place of dense development or urban amenities, preserving a quiet, water-oriented character distinctive to Florida's Big Bend coast.