"Florida's Turnpike, which has carried the Ronald Reagan Turnpike legislative designation since 1998, is a toll road that runs 312 miles (497 km) down the Florida peninsula through 11 counties, from US 1 in Florida City to Interstate 75 at Wildwood. It runs through Orlando, where it crosses Interstate 4; and West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, where it parallels Interstate 95, often literally next to it, separated by a wall. The Turnpike was originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway from its opening in 1957 to April of 1968. At that time, officials of the State Turnpike Authority made the name change for closer identification with the state and for less confusion. Many old county plat books still show the Turnpike as the Sunshine State Parkway. The Turnpike itself is actually in two sections. The Mainline is a 269-mile route from the Golden Glades Interchange north of Miami to Wildwood that carries the hidden designation of State Road 91. The Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike (HEFT) runs from Florida City (near Homestead) through the suburbs to the west and north of Miami. It connects to the Mainline four miles north of the Golden Glades Interchange."
