Florida is now per some data, the most expensive place to live in the US. One thing many non-Floridians don’t realize is the number of toll roads in the state, which has the most miles of toll roads in the nation, with many more in the construction or planning stages. The proposed toll roads threaten Florida’s ecological fragility including the Goethe Forest, the Everglades and the Split Oak Forest -this has been in the news lately as a new proposed toll road that would connect the Osceola Parkway to the “Greenway” (really the concrete-way) would decimate the forest. And they add to everyone’s cost of living and cost of working.

Here is a list of current, under-construction and proposed Florida toll roads (excluding bridges but including Express Lanes).

Statewide

Florida Turnpike

Proposed:

Florida Turnpike extension to US 19 through Sumter and Citrus counties

Suncoast Parkway Extension through Citrus, Levy, Dixie, Taylor and Jefferson countries

Destin/Fort Walton Beach Area

Spence Parkway

Tallahassee Area

Orchard Pond Parkway

Jacksonville Area

First Coast Expressway

I-295 Express

Proposed:

First Coast Expressway extension

Tampa/St Petersburg Area

Selmon Expressway

Selmon-I-4 connector

Veterans Expressway

Suncoast Parkway

Under Construction:

Gateway Expressway

Lakeland/Winter Haven Area

Polk Parkway

Proposed:

Central Polk Parkway

Heartland Parkway

I-4 Express

Orlando Area

Beachline Expressway

East-West Expressway

Central Florida Greenway

Dan Webster Western Beltway

John Land Expressway

Mount Dora Connector

Wekiva Parkway

Poinciana Parkway

Osceola Parkway

Apopka Connector

I-4 Ultimate

Under Construction

I-4 Beyond the Ultimate

Proposed

Split Oak Parkway Extension

Southport Connector

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

Alligator Alley (Part of I-75, extends to Southwest Florida)

Snapper Creek Expressway

Don Shula Expressway

Airport Expressway

Sawgrass Expressway

Gratigny Parkway

West Dade Expressway

I-95 Express

I-75 Express

I-595 Express

Palmetto Express

Proposed:

Kendall Parkway

SW 10th Street Connector

That’s a huge number of roads with more on the way. To my knowledge, the only road which has actually had tolls permanently removed in Florida, is J. Turner Butler Blvd., which was a toll road when I was a kid, but the tolls were removed at the same time tolls were removed from bridges in Jacksonville, in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s.