Brooksville is a city in and the county seat of Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719, up from 7,264 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.Brooksville was named in 1856 to honor the exploits of Preston Brooks, a congressman and fervent advocate of chattel slavery from South Carolina. In 1856, Brooks attacked senator and staunch abolitionist Charles Sumner with a cane on the floor of Senate, severely injuring him, and nearly murdering him. Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residences including the home of former Florida Governor William Sherman Jennings and football player Jerome Brown.GeographyBrooksville is located in east-central Hernando County, north of Tampa and southwest of Ocala. The geographic center of Florida is north-northwest of Brooksville.According to the United States Census Bureau, Brooksville has a total area of 28.3sqkm, of which 28.1sqkm are land and 0.3sqkm, or 0.90%, are water.
