Florida Guide Florida regions, islands, and historic-city planning

Getting around

Getting around Florida

Outside the walkable historic cores of Key West, St. Augustine, and Ybor City, Florida is a driving state. A rental car is the default for most micro-zones, especially the Everglades, Sanibel, and the Gulf beaches. On the southeast coast, Brightline and local transit can cover some trips car-free, and tolls are common statewide.

Last checked July 12, 2026

Cars, tolls, and SunPass

Most Florida regions in this guide - the Everglades, Naples, Sanibel and Captiva, Amelia Island, and Sarasota's St. Armands - are best reached and explored by car. Many highways are tolled, including Florida's Turnpike, Miami-Dade expressways, and the Sanibel Causeway. The state's electronic toll transponder is SunPass; most rental agencies offer a toll package, and many gantries are cashless, so confirm how your rental handles tolls before you drive.

Distances are longer than they look on a map. Miami to Naples across Alligator Alley is roughly two hours; Miami to Key West is over three; Tampa to St. Augustine is about three and a half. Plan intercity Florida trips as real drives, not day-trip hops.

Walkable cores and island transport

A few destinations reward leaving the car parked. Key West's Old Town is compact and flat, with bicycles, scooters, and the Duval Loop bus; St. Augustine's historic district and Fernandina Beach's downtown on Amelia Island are walkable; and Ybor City's 7th Avenue and Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Boulevard are strolling streets. Sanibel is famous for its shared-use path network, making a bicycle a practical way to reach the lighthouse and Ding Darling refuge.

For the Everglades, there is no transit substitute for a car (or a booked boat or tram tour): the Homestead, Shark Valley, and Gulf Coast entrances are far apart and not connected to each other by road within the park.

Brightline and public transit

On the southeast coast, Brightline links Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, and is the easiest car-free way to move between those cities. Local systems - Miami-Dade Transit with its free Metromover downtown, Broward County Transit, and Palm Tran - cover urban trips but thin out quickly outside the cities.

Rideshare works well in the metros and tourist towns but can be sparse and expensive in rural areas like the Everglades or between Gulf islands, so do not rely on it as your only plan there.

Sources

Reviewed source trail