The name Shakett Creek originated after Jesse Knight's family arrived in Nokomis in the late 1860s, traveling overland from northeast of Tampa with covered wagons, buggies, and mounted horses. When they reached a sizable creek at the head of Dona Bay, the mules pulling the lead buggy refused to enter the water, and one of Knight's sons shook a dried deer hide to frighten them forward. The cracking sound startled the animals into plunging into the creek and upsetting several vehicles, and the name "Shake-it" Creek endured with only a spelling change. An estuary is a semi-enclosed area such as a bay or lagoon where fresh water meets and mixes with salt water, creating a dynamic environment of changing tides and temperatures. Plants and animals there require special adaptations to survive shifts in salinity, tides, sunlight, and temperature, and they depend on a balanced flow of fresh and salt water, which can be disrupted by too much fresh water entering the estuary. Estuaries, known as "the cradle of the ocean," are home to more than 95% of Florida's recreational and commercial juvenile fish, crustaceans, and shellfish.