 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2021) |
Transportation in Florida includes a variety of options, includingInterstate Highways,U.S. Highways, andFlorida State Roads;Amtrak andcommuter rail services;airports,public transportation, and sea ports, in a number of the state'scounties and regions.
Florida'sinterstates,U.S. Highways, andstate highways are maintained by theFlorida Department of Transportation, with the exception of a few highways in Miami, which are maintained by theMiami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX).
Florida's interstate highway system contains 1,473 miles (2,371 km) of highway, and there are 9,934 miles (15,987 km) of non-interstate highway in the state, such as Florida state highways and U.S. Highways.[citation needed]
State highways are numbered according to convention. The first digits of state highways with some exceptions (such asState Road 112 (SR 112) connectingInterstate 95 (I-95) to theMiami International Airport) are numbered with the first digit indicating what area of the state the road is in, from 1 in the north and east to 9 in the south and west. Major north-south state roads generally have one- or two-digit odd route numbers that increase from east to west, while major east-west state roads generally have one- or two-digit even route numbers that increase from north to south. Roads of secondary importance usually have three-digit route numbers. The first digitx of their route number is the same as the first digit of the road with two-digit numberx0 to the immediate north. The three-digit route numbers also increase from north to south for even numbers and east to west for odd numbers.
Following this convention,SR 907, or Alton Road on Miami Beach, is farther east thanSR 997, which is Krome Avenue, or the farthest west north-south road in Miami–Dade County. One notable exception to the convention isSR 826, or the Palmetto Expressway (pictured at the right heading north) which, although even numbered, is signed north-south. State roads can have anywhere from one to four digits depending on the importance and location of the road.[1] County roads often follow this same system.
A law introduced on January 1, 2013, required all non US drivers to possess an International Driving License to drive within the state. The Florida Department for Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued a statement on February 14, 2013, announcing that the law would not be enforced.[2]
| This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2018) |
Amtrak service exists in Florida.Sanford, inGreater Orlando, is the southern terminus of theAmtrak Auto Train, which originates atLorton, Virginia, south ofWashington, DC. Orlando is also the eastern terminus of theSunset Limited, which travels across the southern United States viaNew Orleans,Houston, andSan Antonio to its western terminus ofLos Angeles; however, service to Florida has been suspended indefinitely in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina.[3] Florida is served by two additional Amtrak trains (theFloridian and theSilverMeteor), which operate betweenChicago and Miami andNew York City and Miami, respectively. In 2023, Amtrak had a total of 951,043 boardings and alightings in the state of Florida.[4]
Brightline is a higher-speed service betweenMiami andOrlando. There are plans for Brightline to reach Tampa in the future.
TheFlorida Department of Transportation was preparing to build ahigh-speed rail betweenTampa,Lakeland, andOrlando. This would have been the first phase of theFlorida High Speed Rail system. Soil work began in July 2010 with the federal government expecting full construction to begin in 2011. However, Governor Rick Scott declined the federal funding.
Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment in 2000 for the construction of ahigh-speed rail network. Due to public skepticism about the multibillion-dollar price, voters repealed this amendment.[5] The first segment of this network, projected to have opened in 2009, would have connected Tampa and Orlando, in hopes of alleviating traffic on the busy Interstate 4 corridor. Later segments would have connectedMiami, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Pensacola.
Florida has 131 public airports.[6] Florida's seven large hub and medium hub airports, as classified by the FAA, are the following:
| City served | Code | Airport name | FAA Category | Enplanements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | MIA | Miami International Airport | Large Hub | 17,017,654 |
| Orlando | MCO | Orlando International Airport | Large Hub | 17,017,491 |
| Fort Lauderdale | FLL | Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood Int'l Airport | Large Hub | 10,829,810 |
| Tampa | TPA | Tampa International Airport | Large Hub | 8,137,222 |
| Fort Myers | RSW | Southwest Florida International Airport | Medium Hub | 3,714,157 |
| West Palm Beach | PBI | Palm Beach International Airport | Medium Hub | 2,958,416 |
| Jacksonville | JAX | Jacksonville International Airport | Medium Hub | 2,755,719 |
Major international airports in Florida which processed more than 15 million passengers each in 2005 areOrlando International Airport (34,128,048 est. 2006),Miami International Airport (32,533,974 est. 2006),Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport(22,390,285 est. 2006) andTampa International Airport (19,045,390 est. 2006).
Secondary airports, with annual passenger traffic exceeding 5 million each in 2005, includeSouthwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers) (7,518,169 est. 2006),Palm Beach International Airport (West Palm Beach) (7,014,237 est. 2006),Jacksonville International Airport (5,741,652).
Regional Airports which processed over one million passengers each in 2005 arePensacola (1,638,605),Sarasota-Bradenton (1,337,571), andTallahassee (1,129,947) andSanford (1,649,237) which is primarily served by international charter airlines.[7]
Other smaller, regional airports with commercial service (with passengers served in 2005, where available) include those atDaytona Beach (615,841),Fort Walton Beach (520,000),Gainesville (345,788),Key West,Marathon Key,Melbourne (466,367),Naples,Panama City (382,551), andSt. Petersburg-Clearwater (596,510).
Florida is part of theIntracoastal Waterway, a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) inland waterway. Florida has theOkeechobee Waterway,St. Lucie Canal (C-44),Miami Canal, andTamiami Canal.
Miami's public transportation is served byMiami-Dade Transit, which runsMetrorail, aheavy railrapid transit system;Metromover, apeople mover train system inDowntown Miami; andMetrobus, Miami-Dade's bus system. Metrorail runs throughout Miami-Dade County and has 23 stations on a 24.4-mile (39.3 km) track connecting to Downtown Miami's Metromover andTri-Rail. Metromover has three lines and 21 stations on a 4.4-mile (7.1 km) track connectingUptown and theBrickell Financial District inside ofDowntown Miami. Outside ofMiami-Dade County, public transit in theSouth Florida metropolitan area is served byBroward County Transit andPalm Tran;commuter rail service is provided byTri-Rail, with 19 stations including the region's three international airports.
Tampa and its surrounding area is served by buses run byHillsborough Area Regional Transit, orHART for short. In addition,HART runs continuous trolley services in downtown Tampa in the form of theTECO Line Streetcar, aheritage streetcar line sponsored byTampa Electric Company. Pinellas County and St. Petersburg provide similar services through thePinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, orPSTA for short. The beaches ofPinellas County have their own bus system run byPSTA called theSuncoast Beach Trolley. Downtown St. Petersburg also has a separate bus system, known asThe Looper. The Cross-Bay Ferry has connected Tampa'sChannelside District to Downtown St. Petersburg since 2016.[8]
Greater Orlando utilizes theLynx bus system, which also operates a freebus rapid transit service in downtown Orlando.[9] Acommuter rail service –SunRail – also serves the Metro Orlando area. TheWalt Disney World Resort is also located in this area and is served byDisney Transport, its own internal transportation system consisting of buses, watercraft, parking lot trams, and theWalt Disney World Monorail System. The latter is one of the busiest mass transit rail systems in North America, with over 150,000 riders served each day.[10]
Public transportation inJacksonville is provided byJacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), operatingbus service,trolleys,paratransit, and apeople mover. The people mover, known as theJTA Skyway is located in downtown Jacksonville, and operates 8 stations along a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) track. Bus service as well as paratransit service is provided around Duval County and partially in Clay County. JTA operates three trolley lines in three different neighborhoods: Downtown, Riverside, and Jacksonville Beach. The entire JTA system has a daily ridership of over 42,000.[11]
InVolusia County,VoTran provides bus transportation throughout the entire county. Express service to Orlando was provided between 1998 and 2014 and has since been replaced by SunRail.
InPolk County, theCitrus Connection andWinter Haven Area Transit (WHAT) provide regional transportation in the cities of Lakeland, Bartow, Winter Haven, Auburndale and smaller surrounding municipalities and unincorporated areas. WHAT connects with the Lynx system at Haines City.
TheGainesville metropolitan areais served by the fourth largest public transit system in the state of Florida.Gainesville Regional Transit System or RTS presently serves 40 city routes (19 on Saturdays, 16 on Sundays), 10 campus routes, and five "Later Gator" routes. Paratransit (ADA) service is also provided to anyone with a Gainesville address. RTS has a daily ridership of approximately 25,000 riders.
InIndian River County, a public bus transportation system calledGoLine, which has 14 routes and 543 stops, operates across the county.[12][13]
On April 1, 2016, Florida governor Rick Scott signed a video surveillance bill that was to be used in public Transit systems throughout the state. Public Transits may release their video surveillance to local, state or federal agencies in furtherance of civic duty and responsibility; They may release video footage upon showing good cause to a court of competent jurisdiction.[14]
Bus service between cities and towns in Florida is provided by a number of private companies.Amtrak Thruway service is offered connecting Amtrak trains to cities off of train routes, including Fort Myers and St Augustine, but tickets cannot be purchased for the bus alone, only a combined bus-rail itinerary.
| Road name | South or west terminus | North or east terminus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 I-4 | Tampa | Daytona Beach | Has junctions withI-75 in Tampa andI-95 in Daytona Beach. |
 I-10 | Alabama state line, nearPensacola | Jacksonville | Has junctions withI-75 nearLake City andI-95 in Jacksonville. |
 I-75 | Hialeah/Miami Lakes | Georgia state line, nearLake City | Has junctions withI-10 in Lake City andI-4 inTampa. |
 I-95 | Downtown Miami | Georgia state line, nearJacksonville | Has junctions withI-10 in Jacksonville andI-4 inDaytona Beach. |
| Road name | Notes |
|---|---|
 I-110 | A spur fromI-10 into downtownPensacola. |
 I-175 | ConnectsI-275 to southern downtownSt. Petersburg. |
 I-195 | An extension ofMiami's Airport Expressway (SR 112); a spur eastward from I-95 toMiami Beach. |
 I-275 | A 60 miles (97 km)[15] westward half-loop fromI-75 north ofEllenton, over theSunshine Skyway Bridge, throughSt. Petersburg, toTampa International Airport and downtownTampa, reconnecting with I-75 in Tampa's northern suburbs. |
 I-295 | A beltway aroundJacksonville. |
 I-375 | ConnectsI-275 to northern downtownSt. Petersburg. |
 I-395 | An extension ofMiami's Dolphin Expressway (SR 836); a spur eastward fromI-95 toMiami Beach. |
 I-595 | ConnectsI-75,I-95,Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, andPort Everglades. |
Florida has several toll roads, totaling 515 miles (829 km) of the state highway system. Major toll roads include:
I-75, as it passes through theEverglades between Naples and Fort Lauderdale has beengrandfathered as a toll road from its original construction asState Road 84 (SR 84)
Florida's Turnpike, which begins atUS 1 inFlorida City and continues north through the western suburbs ofSouth Florida turning northwest atFort Pierce and continuing through central Florida, passing west ofOrlando and ending atI-75 nearWildwood, 23 miles (37 km) south ofOcala. Florida's Turnpike has the distinction of having the farthest distance between two exits of any limited-access highway in the United States. It is more than 47 miles (76 km) between exits 193 and 240; there is a service area with fuel at milepost 229.I-275Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which connects Pinellas County with Manatee CountyFederal, state and local governments pay for road construction and maintenance. In 2015, the federal government approved $12 billion over the next five years. $10 Billion will be used for the highway program. $2 billion will be used formass transit systems.[16]
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