Okeechobee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Its county seat is Okeechobee, Florida. Okeechobee County was created in 1917 and was named for the Lake Okeechobee, Hitchiti words ''oka'' (water) and ''chobi'' (big). Okeechobee County has a total area of approximately 892 square miles of which 87% is land and 13% water. As of the 2000 census, there were 35,910 people, 12,593 households, and 9,016 families residing in Okeechobee County, FL.