<P> The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the Florida peninsula , in the U.S.A. . It originates at the juncture of Saddle Creek and Peace Creek northeast of Bartow in Polk County and flows south through Fort Meade ( Polk County ) Hardee County to Arcadia in DeSoto County and then southwest into the Charlotte Harbor estuary at Port Charlotte in Charlotte County . It is 106 miles ( 171 km ) long and has a drainage basin of 1,367 square miles ( 3,540 km ) . U.S. Highway 17 runs near and somewhat parallel to the river for much of its course . The river was called Rio de la Paz ( River of Peace ) on 16th century Spanish charts . It appeared as Peas Creek or Pease Creek on later maps . The Creek ( and later , Seminole ) Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee , River of Long Peas . Other cities along the Peace River include Fort Meade , Wauchula and Zolfo Springs . </P>
where does the peace river start in florida
at the juncture of Saddle Creek and Peace Creek northeast of Bartow in Polk County