Airports and Roadways

Size

Florida is a lot bigger than most people think. The distance top to bottom is 447 miles, and 361 miles side to side. Florida is the 22nd largest state, with 58,560 square miles. Florida’s longest river is the St. John’s River, which is 273 miles long. Lake Okeechobee is its biggest lake at 700 square miles, making it the second largest freshwater lake in the United States.

Air Travel

Getting to Florida by air is pretty easy, no matter where you are going in the state. There are currently thirteen international airports, with Orlando International Airport being the busiest with over 34 million passengers a year, followed closely by Miami International Airport with approximately 31 million passengers a year. Florida also has several regional airports, and many smaller executive and community airports which can be a good choice for avoiding long lines and big crowds at larger airports, assuming you can get flights to where you need to go.

Florida airports are serviced by all the major airlines as well as discount and charter airlines. Search your favorite travel site to see how convenient and (usually) inexpensive it is for you to fly to Florida. If you plan to keep a second home here, it should be convenient for you to fly-in and fly right back out without much trouble, cost, or inconvenience. Several Florida retirement communities even have shuttle services that will take you to and pick you up from the airport…nice!

Florida’s International Airports (with Airport Codes)

Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB)

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)

Key West International Airport (EYW)

Melbourne International Airport (MLB)

Miami International Airport (MIA)

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

Panama City International Airport (PFN)

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)

Southwest Florida International Airport (in Fort Myers) (RSW)

St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport (PIE)

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

Roadways

Major Interstates

Florida’s major interstate highways are I-95, I-75, I-4, and I-10. I-95, which runs up and down the east coast of the United States, reaches the state of Florida north of Jacksonville, and runs the length of the east coast of Florida ending in Miami. It meets with I-10 in Jacksonville, and I-4 in Daytona Beach.

I-75 connects the west coast of Florida with the Midwest states making cities on the west coast including Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton, and Naples, hotbeds for Midwest vacationers, second homeowners, and retirees. I-75 begins in Florida about 45 miles west of Jacksonville. Once it snakes its way to the west coast of the state, it passes through Tampa (where it meets up with I-4), Bradenton, Fort Myers and finally Naples. Here it begins to run east-west to Fort Lauderdale.

I-4 runs through the central part of the state, connecting Tampa on the west coast with Daytona Beach on the east coast. Interestingly, in 2004 Hurricane Charley became known as the “I-4 Hurricane” because it entered near Tampa, and followed the path of I-4 very closely before exiting the state just north of Daytona Beach.

I-10 runs the width of the Panhandle of Florida and connects Pensacola with Jacksonville. If you were to keep going west out of Florida on I-10 you would eventually end up in the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica California.

Road Construction

In a continuing effort to prepare the state’s roadways and interstates for Florida’s growth, construction projects are always underway. If you’d like to find out where they are located before making a trip to Florida, visit the Florida Department of Transportation online at http://www.dot.state.fl.us Here you can also find other valuable information such as the mileage between major cities, the locations of Florida’s rest areas, toll roads, and speed limits.

Speeding

Which brings me to an important point. Don’t speed. The Florida Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies are the butt of jokes such as the saying “Welcome to Florida, may I have your license and registration please.” Also be aware that speeding fines are doubled in work zones in Florida. Speeding might leave you with a couple hundred bucks less to spend on your new home here.

511 Traffic Info

Florida offers an in-state travel information system by dialing 511 from a cell phone or landline. You can get updates on traffic for major roadways and interstates, as well as construction information, lane closures, and special alerts. The system is also available online at www.FL511.com

Florida Driver’s License

If you’ll be moving to Florida full time, you’ll want to get a Florida driver’s license. You can get that process started at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website at http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us

Driving Miss Daisy

Some Boomers moving to Florida will be bringing their elderly parents to live with them, many of whom will continue to drive in their seventies, eighties and nineties. The state of Florida offers a great resource covering many aspects of elderly driving at http://www.floridagranddriver.com

To find the mileage between Florida cities visit: http://www3.dot.state.fl.us/mileage/