The following numbered county roads exist in Charlotte County, Florida. As with most Florida counties, numbers are assigned in a statewide grid. County roads in Charlotte County are maintained by Charlotte County Public Works.[1]
County Road 74 is Bermont Road in eastern Charlotte County.
Route description
Bermont Road begins at US 17 in Cleveland. From here, it heads due east into rural Charlotte County. 15 miles later, it intersects with SR 31, a rural road that runs from Fort Myers to Arcadia. Bermont Road continues east from SR 31 and after another 12 miles, CR 74 enters Glades County and continues toward Palmdale.[2]
History
Bermont Road was originally designated as SR 262 when it was added to the state highway system.[3] During the 1945 Florida state road renumbering, it was redesignated SR 74. It would remain SR 74 until the 1980s, when it was relinquished to county control.[4] Bermont Road is named for the ghost town of Bermont, which was located near the intersection of SR 31.[5]
County Road 762 is Tucker's Grade near Tropical Gulf Acres.
Route description
Tucker's Grade begins near Tropical Gulf Acres at an intersection with US 41 (Tamiami Trail) and Green Gulf Boulevard. From US 41, it immediately crosses the Seminole Gulf Railway and heads east. A mile later, Tucker's Grade comes to an interchange with Interstate 75. CR 762 comes to an end half a mile east of Interstate 75 at the entrance to the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. It continues as a dirt trail through the Wildlife Management Area as far as SR 31 near Babcock Ranch (though there is no vehicular access to SR 31).[6]
History
Tucker's Grade was originally a cattle trail that became a dirt road in the early 1900s. It is named for Allen B. Tucker, an early resident that lived along the grade and sought to have it improved along with other roads in the area.[7][8] Tucker was an engineer and would serve as Punta Gorda sanitation inspector in the 1920s.[9] On the west end, it turned and paralleled the railroad north along present-day Royal Road to Taylor Road in its early days.[3] It would later cross the tracks to connect directly to the Tamiami Trail (US 41).
Interstate 75 was completed through Charlotte County in 1981, and Tucker's Grade would be the freeway's southernmost exit in Charlotte County. Interstate 75 and US 41 are only a mile apart at Tucker's Grade, which is the closest the two highways come to each other south of Tampa.[11] Tucker's Grade was designated SR 762 between the two highways before becoming CR 762 when it was relinquished to county control.[4]
County Road 764 is Washington Loop Road just northeast of Cleveland. It begins at US 17 and runs east for 4.5 miles. It then turns north and crosses Shell Creek, a tributary of the Peace River. In less than a mile, it turns back west and terminates back at US 17.[12]
County Road 765 is Burnt Store Road in southern Charlotte County.
Route description
CR 765 enters Charlotte County just northeast of Burnt Store Marina (located in Lee County). From the county line, it expands to four lanes and heads north. It runs along the eastern border of the Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park before coming to an intersection with US 41 (Tamiami Trail) in South Punta Gorda Heights.
At US 41, CR 765 briefly becomes Jones Loop Road as it crosses the Seminole Gulf Railway. 500 feet north of US 41, CR 765 turns left on to another segment of Burnt Store Road, while Jones Loop Road continues east as CR 768. CR 765 continues north along Burnt Store Road, which is two lanes, to its northern terminus at Taylor Road (CR 765A).[13]
History
The road is named after the community of Burnt Store Marina, which is located in Lee County just south of the Charlotte County line. Burnt Store Marina is the historic locations of a general store and trading post that was burned down by a small group of Seminole Indians led by Chief Billy Bowlegs in protest of settlers taking their land.[14]
Burnt Store Road was designated as part of SR 183 when it was added to the state highway system.[15] After the 1945 Florida state road renumbering, the road became SR 765.[4] It later became CR 765 when it was relinquished to county control in the 1980s.[4]
CR 765 was widened to a four-lane divided road from the county line to just east of the Seminole Gulf Railway crossing in phases from 2012 to 2022.[16]
County Road 765A is Taylor Road in Punta Gorda and southern Charlotte County.
Route description
Taylor Road begins at US 41 (Tamiami Trail) just north of Tropical Gulf Acres. It crosses the Seminole Gulf Railway and heads north. After an intersection with Acline Road (CR 768), Taylor Road turns northwest, and parallels US 41. Just north of Airport Road, Taylor Road enters Punta Gorda city limits. It passes the historic Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot at Carmalita Street, where the railroad tracks cross through the intersection. CR 765A terminates at the northbound lanes of US 41 just outside of Downtown Punta Gorda. The road continues north as a city street named Taylor Street to Harborside Avenue in Downtown Punta Gorda, running between the one-way northbound and southbound US 41.[17]
History
Taylor Road was previously SR 765A before being relinquished to county control in the 1980s.[4]
County Road 768 is a loop road consisting of Acline Road and Jones Loop Road in southern Charlotte County.
Route description
CR 768 begins at Burnt Store Road (CR 765) just south of Alligator Creek.[19] It heads east along Acline Road and quickly intersects US 41 (Tamiami Trail). It then crosses the Seminole Gulf Railway immediately east of US 41. At Taylor Road (CR 765A), CR 768 becomes South Jones Loop Road and continues east, crossing over Interstate 75. About 1.5 miles east of the interstate overpass, it turns north for less than a mile before turning back west. From here, the road is known is North Jones Loop Road and it passes just south of Punta Gorda Airport. It expands to four lanes and comes to Interstate 75 again, this time with an interchange. A number of services for the highway, including gas, restaurants, and lodging exists on the northwest corner of the interchange. Jones Loop Road then intersects Taylor Road (CR 765A) and continues west. CR 768 comes to an end at Burnt Store Road (CR 765) just northeast of US 41. Though, Jones Loop Road continues west from here along CR 765 across the Seminole Gulf Railway to an intersection with US 41.[18]
History
Acline Road was named for a former railroad station named Acline which was located near the railroad crossing. Acline was an acronym for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, the company that built the railroad from Punta Gorda south (which is now the Seminole Gulf Railway).[20]
Jones Loop was heavily rebuilt east of Taylor Road in 1967, and it was designated as SR 768 until the 1980s when it was relinquished to county control.[4][21]
Interstate 75 was completed through Charlotte County in 1981, and Jones Loop Road would have an interchange at its northern intersection with the freeway.[22] A rest area for the freeway was also built on the southeast corner of the interchange, which would lead to a number of travel related businesses, such as gas stations, restaurants, and motels, to open at the interchange.[23]
North Jones Loop Road was extended from Taylor Road to Burnt Store Road (CR 765) and US 41 in the mid-1990s.[24]
The rest area for Interstate 75 at Jones Loop Road closed in 2015 due to low usage. While the rest area's buildings were demolished, the rest of its infrastructure remains abandoned.[25]
Kings Highway begins at US 41 (Tamiami Trail) just north of the Peace River. From here, it heads north and quickly intersects Harborview Road (CR 776). It then turns northeast and passes near residential communities, the Maple Leaf Golf and Country Club, and Kings Gate Golf Club. Kings Highway then intersects Veterans Boulevard, which runs west to US 41 and SR 776 in Port Charlotte. Less than half a mile after Veterans Boulevard, Kings Highway comes to an interchange with Interstate 75. CR 769 then crosses into Desoto County near Lake Suzy.[26]
County Road 771 is Gasparilla Road running from Gasparilla Island to a point historically known as McCall (just south of the Myakka River).[27]
Route description
Gasparilla Road begins on Gasparilla Island. The Charlotte County segment continues from a segment in Lee County, which begins in Boca Grande. From the county line, it heads north along Gasparilla Island for over a mile before crossing the Boca Grande Causeway to Placida on the mainland. Just north of the causeway at Placida Road (CR 775), Gasparilla Road turns south and then curves to the northeast. As it runs northeast, it passes the Coral Creek Airport and the Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park. At Rotonda Boulevard, Gasparilla Road expands to four lanes. It heads north for another two miles before coming to its northern terminus at SR 776 (McCall Road).[27]
History
Present-day Gasparilla Road was largely built from McCall to Placida in the early 1950s, was making it the second road connecting to Placida after SR 775. It was built on a route roughly paralleling the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's Boca Grande Subdivision, which was built by the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway and is now the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail. The road was designated as an extension of SR 771, which at the time ran north along the current route of SR 776 to Murdock (in northern Port Charlotte).[28][29]
The Boca Grande Causeway was completed in 1958, and SR 771 was extended on to Gasparilla Island.[30] In the 1980s, SR 771 was relinquished to county control south of McCall and became CR 771. SR 771 north of McCall remained under state control and became part of SR 776.[31]
CR 771 was officially named Gasparilla Road in 2003.[32]
County Road 775 is Placida Road running from Placida to Englewood.
Route description
Placida Road begins in Placida on Cape Haze. Its southern terminus is at CR 771 (Gasparilla Road) near Boca Grande Causeway. From CR 771, Placida Road heads northwest as a two-lane road passing between the coast and Rotonda West. Just before Rotonda Boulevard, Placida Road expands to four lanes and passes through Grove City. It then enters Englewood and cones to its northern terminus at SR 776.[33]
History
Placida was originally designated SR 173.[3] It became SR 775 during the 1945 Florida state road renumbering. When first designated, SR 775 continued north from Englewood to US 41 in South Venice along the present route of SR 776.[34] After SR 775 south of Englewood was relinquished to county control in the 1980s, the northern segment became part of SR 776.[31]
County Road 776 exists in two discontinuous segments. The western segment is Beach Road connecting Manasota Key with Englewood, which is unsigned. The eastern segment is Harborview Road, which runs from US 41 in Charlotte Harbor to Harbour Heights.[37]
Both segments were previously designated as discontinuous segments of SR 776 before being relinquished to county control in the 1980s.[34]
^State Road Department of Florida (1953). Official State Road Map of Florida(PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Tallahassee: State Road Department of Florida. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
^State Road Department of Florida (1954). Official State Road Map of Florida(PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Tallahassee: State Road Department of Florida. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
^"About Us". Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013.
^ abState Road Department of Florida (1991). Official State Road Map of Florida(PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Tallahassee: State Road Department of Florida. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
^ abState Road Department of Florida (1970). Official State Road Map of Florida(PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Tallahassee: State Road Department of Florida. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
