The Florida Heartland Regional Trail
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One is coordinating the development of Project Development and Environment (PD&E) studies for the Florida Heartland Regional Trail (previously known as the Collier to Polk Regional Trail).
What is the Collier to Polk Trail Master Plan?
In 2024, District One completed the Collier to Polk Trail Master Plan to set the stage for the PD&E phase of what is now called the Florida Heartland Regional Trail. The Master Plan included preliminary routing alternatives and associated recommendations to develop the project as a regionally significant trail within the Florida Shared Use Nonmotorized (SUN) Trail Network.
What is a Regionally Significant Trail?
The Florida Heartland Regional Trail has been identified and prioritized as a regionally significant trail within the Florida Greenways and Trails System (FGTS) by the Florida Greenways and Trails Council. This means it is recognized for its potential to:
- Cross multiple counties
- Attract national and international visitors
- Provide opportunities for economic and ecotourism development
- Showcase the value of wildlife areas, ecology, and natural resources
- Serve as a main corridor for critical links and trail connectedness
What is the Florida Heartland Regional Trail?
The vision for the Florida Heartland Regional Trail is to develop a paved, multi-use trail that will connect and provide access to small towns, cultural and heritage sites, parks, preserves, wildlife corridors, and working lands. This planned trail will accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians across a six-county region that includes: Collier, Hendry, Glades, Highlands, Hardee, and Polk. It will also connect into the broader priority trail network being developed statewide.
What is SUN Trail?
The SUN Trail Program, administered by FDOT, provides funding for the development of the SUN Trail network, a statewide system of interconnected paved multi-use trails for bicyclists and pedestrians. The SUN Trail network is a refined version of Florida’s statewide Land Trail Priorities which are approved by the Florida Greenways and Trails Council. SUN Trail funded projects improve intermodal connections by closing gaps in the statewide paved trail system to increase the reliability of Florida’s transportation system.