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Driving In Florida

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Traveling Florida by Car Without Your Head Exploding

To go anywhere in Florida you have to drive a car - public transportation is not an option. I learned to drive in Miami on US1. As a driver I got off to a rough start. At 16 I backed my fathers new car through the front window of Little Ceasers Pizza (across from the University of Miami) - no one was hurt but some good pizza went to waste.

A year later I got my jeep stuck on the beach and had to be pulled out by a 10-ton wrecker with my Dad and the fire department watching. During my college years at FSU I drove back and forth from Miami to Tallahassee at least 20 times and got my share of speeding tickets courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol.

A Safe Driver
These days my drivers license says "Safe Driver" - that's according to the Florida DMV. As a reformed unsafe driver I'm now militant about bad drivers. Over the years - through first hand experience - I learned a more about Florida driving laws than I ever wanted to. Follow my travels from Key West to Pensacola and everywhere in between, my observations, and some sage advice about driving in Florida.

Picture of Florida

Pictures from around the state of Florida

Take the Florida Turnpike

The shortcut through Florida that serves fresh orange juice

Shortcuts
I did a walking tour of New York City with a native once and he warned me not to walk to close to the buildings because I might step in something of human origin. It was a good tip. The kind of insight you only get from someone who's been there done that and replaced his shoes.

The Turnpike Goes North South
Traveling by car can be similar. But if you take the wrong route the messes are bigger and can take much longer to clean up. Florida is no exception. My number one tip is very simple - take the Florida Turnpike if at all possible. No matter where you are going look at a map of Florida, if the turnpike is close take it. Avoid I95 at all costs.

The Florida Turnpike runs north to south in Florida and is the fastest (and lowest stress way) to travel. In most areas the speed limit is 70 MPH. Be sure to cruise in the right lane and use the left lane for passing - don't sit in the left lane and block the speeders.

The Turnpike starts north of Orlando and goes all the way down south of Miami. Say you are planning a trip to Florida and want to visit Disney World and the Keys. You start by flying into The Orlando airport (a very modern and clean airport) and renting a car. When are ready to leave Mickey Mouse behind you hop in your car and get on the Florida Turnpike and head south.

In this case, by taking the Turnpike you go around all the south Florida traffic (read: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood) and end up about 30 minutes north of Key Largo.

Service Plazas
You will pass a Service Plaza about every hour or so. They are located in the center of the Turnpike so you exit on left. The plazas have gas, food, coffee (Starbucks), and car repair available. In many cases there is a Florida Citrus Farmer selling bags of fresh oranges, grapefruits, and fresh juice.

The trip from Orlando to Key Largo is about six hours - more or less. If you've never been to the Florida Keys it's worth the trip - more on that later. Be sure to gas up in Florida City, where the Turnpike ends, because there are long stretches of US1 (AKA S Dixie Highway) with no gas stations.

That same trip on I95 could take you an extra hour and worse case scenario is that you run into a traffic block. A traffic block happens when there is an accident and either one or multiple lanes of the highway are closed. The result is you go from 60 or 70MPH to not moving, which can be torture. I've experienced this at least six times and it's not pretty.

Florida Driving Links

How to travel Florida by car as a visitor or resident

Useful websites about Florida driving laws, travel tips, and guides to the many excellent spots to visit in Florida.

Driving In Florida

Traveling Florida by Car Without Your Head Exploding

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