Florida State Road 17

This article describes a Florida state highway numbered 17. For the U.S. highway with the same number, see U.S. Route 17 in Florida.

"FL 17" redirects here. For the congressional district, see Florida's 17th congressional district.

State Road 17 (SR 17), also formerly known as U.S. Route 27 Alternate (US 27 Alt.), is a north–south state road in the U.S. state of Florida. It is split into two sections. The road provides scenic views as it winds through the hills of the Lake Wales Ridge.^[2]

State Road 17
SR 17 in red, CR 17 in blue, CR 17A and CR 17B in purple
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length	47.086 mi[1] (75.778 km)
Existed	1945–present
Major junctions
South end	US 27 / US 98 in Sebring
Major intersections	US 27 / US 98 / SR 64 in Avon Park US 27 / US 98 near Frostproof SR 60 in Lake Wales
North end	US 17 / US 92 in Haines City
Location
Country	United States
State	Florida
Counties	Highlands, Polk
Highway system
Florida State Highway System Interstate US State Former Pre‑1945 Toll Scenic
← US 17 → SR 18

Route description

Southern segment

It runs from Sebring in Highlands County as "Lakeview Drive." It goes through downtown Sebring as "Ridgewood Drive" before continuing north-northwest of the city, entering Avon Park from the east as "Cornell Street."

At a four-way stop, it turns north, following Memorial Drive until it reaches Main Street, then it goes west through Avon Park's downtown until it intersects US 27/98.

Northern segment

A section runs from US 27/98 in Polk County, southwest of Frostproof. It bisects that town, taking the name "Scenic Highway" as it winds through Hillcrest Heights, Babson Park and Lake Wales. It continues north, taking names Main Street in Dundee, where it turns north onto Center Street. Further north, it gains the names Hamilton Boulevard in Lake Hamilton, and 10th Street in Haines City, where it ends at US 17/92.

State Road 17 between Frostproof and Hillcrest Heights. Orange groves on both sides of the highway, and Lake Moody ahead.

Circa 1997 black and white photograph of SR 17 somewhere in Polk County from when it was also U.S Route 27 Alternate.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Highlands	Sebring	0.000	0.000	US 27 / US 98 (SR 25 / SR 700)
		1.058	1.703	CR 17 south (Kenilworth Boulevard) – Airport
		1.559	2.509	CR 634 west (North Franklin Street)
		1.78	2.86	Circle Drive	traffic circle around Circle Park
		2.167	3.487	Sebring Parkway
	​	3.962	6.376	CR 17A south (Arbuckle Creek Road) – truck route to US 27
	Avon Park	9.705	15.619	CR 17A north – truck route to US 27 north
		10.455	16.826	CR 17A south (Memorial Drive)
		10.954	17.629	CR 64 east (East Main Street) – Avon Park Air Force Range
		12.206	19.644	US 27 / US 98 (SR 25 / SR 700) / SR 64 west (Main Street)
Gap in route
Polk	​	0.000	0.000	US 27 / US 98 (SR 25 / SR 700) / North Avon Park Cut-Off – Avon Park, Lake Wales
	Frostproof	4.213	6.780	Fort Meade Road - Fort Meade	former SR 630A west
		6.020	9.688	CR 630 – Indian Lake Estates, Fort Meade
	​	14.971	24.093	CR 640 west
	​	17.291	27.827	CR 17B (Hunt Brothers Road)	traffic circle
	Lake Wales	19.019	30.608	To SR 60 / Polk Avenue
		20.285	32.646	CR 17A north (Burns Avenue) – Spook Hill, Bok Tower Gardens
		21.139	34.020	To US 27 / Mountain Lake Cut-Off Road
	Lake of the Hills	23.734	38.196	CR 17A (Masterpiece Road / Chalet Suzanne Road) – Historic Chalet Suzanne
	Waverly	24.967	40.180	CR 540 (Waverly Road) to US 27 – Waverly, Winter Haven, to Cypress Gardens Boulevard (SR 540), Legoland
	Dundee	29.034	46.726	To US 27 / SR 542 / Main Street	SR 17 turns north onto Center Street
	Lake Hamilton	30.297	48.758	CR 542 east (Lake Hatchineha Road) – FFA Training Center
		31.314	50.395	CR 546 (Kokomo Road)
	Haines City	33.339	53.654	SR 544 west (Scenic Highway East) / CR 544 east (Lake Marion Road) – Winter Haven, Auburndale
		34.880	56.134	US 17 / US 92 (Hinson Avenue / SR 600) to US 27 – Lake Alfred, Davenport
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related roads

Highlands County Road 17

County Road 17
Location	Lake Placid-Sebring

Highlands County Road 17 has three different locations within the county, many of which are consideered to be former segments of SR 17.^[3] The first is named "Old State Highway 8," and is almost entirely unmarked. It runs from CR 731 near Venus to US 27 (SR 25) south of the town limits of Lake Placid on the east bank of the lake that bares the name of the town.

The second is Main Avenue beginning at US 27 (SR 25) in Lake Placid running northwest of US 27. This section of CR 17 runs as a two-lane undivided road until the intersection with Poinsettia Street where it becomes a tree-lined divided two-lane boulevard. Just before the intersection with Phoenix Street, the route curves straight north. Serving as a centerpiece of downtown Lake Placid, CR 17 and Main Street have one major intersection consisting of West Interlake Boulevard which leads to Devane Park and East Interlake Boulevard (CR 17A) which takes motorists to the eastern segment of Highlands CR 621 . The divided section of CR 17 ends at Dal Hall Boulevard. North of Heartland Boulevard the route takes a sharp turn to the left where it crosses the South Central Florida Express railroad line and leaves the of the city limits as it turns right to run along the northeast shores of Lake June in Winter. Main Avenue ends at CR 621 (Lake June Road) north of Lake Placid, but this segment of CR 17 joins CR 621 eastbound in an extremely short overlap before terminating at US 27.

The third version has no street name, and begins at US 27 (SR 25) north of Lake Placid The road is a two-lane highway running north through rural Highlands County as it tries to move away from US 27. One of the few notable features of the road is a bridge over Josephine Creek. North of there, the road makes a left, then right curve between two small ponds. After the intersections with Ball Street and shortly afterward Tortoise Road, CR 17 takes a long curve to left before joining a short overlap with US 98 (SR 700) north-northeast of Kuhlman. CR 17 follows westbound US 98 in an overlap along the south shore of Red Beach Lake until it branches off to the north across from Flame Drive then runs north-northeast of Red Beach Lake into DeSoto City where it crosses the South Central Florida Express railroad line, then straightens out again. The straight north and south segment comes to an end when the road curves to the right and CR 17 makes a sharp northwest turn along Kenilworth Boulevard in Sebring across the street from the western terminus of Moon Ranch Road. Turning right on Kenilworth Boulevard however leads drivers onto CR 623 which leads motorists to both Sebring International Raceway and Sebring Regional Airport. CR 17 and Kenilworth Boulevard run northwest to southeast until the segment between Industrial Way and Orange Blossom Street where it turns into a west-to-east road, Northbound CR 17 continues west along Kenilworth Boulevard, and crosses the Sebring Parkway before finally terminating at SR 17 FDOT's Highlands County map incorrectly shows the northern terminus as being at CR 634, not SR 17.

Highlands County Road 17A

County Road 17A
Location	Sebring-Avon Park

Polk County Road 17

County Road 17
Location	Haines City

Polk County Road 17 (CR 17) exists as a sort of northern extension of SR 17. It travels northwest from the historic district of Haines City, taking the name Main Street (formerly Polk City Road). Crossing US 27, CR 17 continues northwest as Old Polk City Road until it reaches CR 557.

Polk County Road 17A

County Road 17A
Location	Lake Wales

Polk County Road 17A (CR 17A) is a county alternate route of SR 17 in the vicinity of Lake Wales. The route begins at SR 17 in northern Lake Wales on Burns Avenue near Bok Tower Gardens where it runs east towards the fields of rural Polk County. East of the intersection with Buck Moore Road, which is also the northern terminus of Polk CR 17B (see below) the road makes a sharp curve to the northeast. At the intersection with Mammoth Grove Road, the road changes its name to Masterpiece Road and turns north, then curves to the west at the intersection with Timberlane Road. Masterpiece road curves around the north bank of Lake Starr before ending at SR 17 in Lake in the Woods, Florida, but CR 17A continues west onto Chalet Suzanne Road as it heads for U.S. Route 27.

Polk County Road 17B

County Road 17B
Location	Lake Wales

County Road 17B (CR 17B) is another county suffixed route of SR 17 in the vicinity of Lake Wales. This route begins not at its parent route, but at U.S. Route 27 across from the Longleaf Business Park in southern Lake Wales. The road runs west to east as Hunt Brothers Road and encounters its parent route at a roundabout. The route continues to the east until it leaves Hunt Brothers Road onto South 11th Street and turns north, while the previous street it ran along continues east to the Hunt Brothers Citrus factory. Somewhere east of downtown Lake Wales the route encounters SR 60 then turns east into a short overlap with that route which ends at the north end of Hunt Brothers Road and the southern terminus of Buck Moore Road. CR 17B turns north onto Buck Moore Road and resumes a north to northeasterly direction until terminating at Polk County Road 17A. Buck Moore Road continues north until it makes a right turn onto Mammoth Grove Road.