DeSoto County, Florida

 We're In the Middle of Everywhere

DeSoto County is strategically centered in Florida and is ideally situated to offer transportation avenues to all businesses.

If you drive down Interstate 75 from Tampa to Naples, you might think you have driven in a circle. Exit signs for this Interstate list Arcadia as a destination along the entrie route. Some say that all roads lead to DeSoto County, and they are correct. DeSoto County offers one of the most efficient over the road transportation/commuting  infrastructures within Florida. The system is not congested and offers easy access to Interstate 75, Interstate 4, and all of the major metropolitan areas within Central and South Florida including Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota, Ft. Myers and Miami.

The Interstate system (which runs north and south) is one thing, but DeSoto County has a transportation secret- It forms a crossroad access to much of the state. The Southeast part of Florida is accessible from State Road 70 which traverses the entire state from the west coast to the east coast. Approximately three-quarters of the journey involves no congestion. US 17 runs North to South for easy transportation to Orlando, the Polk Parkway, and the Florida Turnpike.  Both of these roads have undergone major expansion projects, only improving their value as a resource to DeSoto County business.

 Airports

• Tampa International Airport (TIA) - 91 miles
• Orlando International Airport (MCO)-  113 miles
• Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) Ft. Myers– 61 miles
• Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) - 49 miles

Railways

Freight rail service is available in DeSoto County from two railroads. The first is CSX, which is a national multi-modal carrier that provides multi-modal service from the city of Arcadia north. The other railway is Seminole Gulf Railway which is headquartered in Ft. Myers. Much of the available Industrial land in DeSoto County is accessible for railhead dependent developments and businesses.

Seaports

DeSoto County has excellent access to seaports. The Port of Manatee and The Port of Tampa offer a wide range of bulk cargo storage and facilities.

• Port of Manatee-  58 miles
• Port of Tampa– 86 miles
• Port of Miami-  176 miles
• Port Canaveral-  159 miles

 HOMETOWN LIVING, BIG BUSINESS FUTURE

The Panama Canal Expansion, a $5.25 billion project that’s under way right now, could be a huge boon for businesses located in Southwest Florida. The new, extra-large canal is scheduled to come online in 2014, a century after it first opened. It will allow super-sized cargo ships to access points around the globe. Shipping routes will be radically transformed, allowing goods to come and go more easily and cheaply. Already, the widening of Interstate 75 and the expansion of State Road 80 to four lanes allows for more of the ship-to-truck-to-train traffic that will redefine our local economy. The Port of Manatee, the closest port to DeSoto County, has begun adding a new pier and turning basin. The conventional wisdom is that the Panama Canal expansion that will be completed in 2014 and will give eastern US deep water ports and opportunity for more business that traditionally would have come in to the west coast ports.  Southwest Florida is positioned extremely well for this, and with DeSoto County's other transportation strengths, The Good Life looks like a good investment. Even a one percent increase would be a substantial amount of business to be created.