Matlacha (pronounced “MAT-la-shay”) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 735. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community’s name comes from a Caloosa word meaning “water to the chin. ” Matlacha is one of five communities on Pine Island, although technically, it is located on a smaller island in Matlacha Pass, east of Pine Island.
