Major FDOT Projects You Should Know About In Central Florida

Central Florida is in the middle of an infrastructure spending wave that rivals anything the I-4 corridor has seen in a generation. Between Governor DeSantis’s Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative, the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) FY 2025/26 Work Program, the Moving I-4 Forward program, and the Florida’s Turnpike Widening Initiative, billions of dollars in road, bridge, and interchange work are underway from the Gulf to the Atlantic.

For commercial property owners, developers, landlords, and small business operators in Orlando, Tampa, and the surrounding cities, this matters for one practical reason. Roads do not get built without land. When FDOT, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, or a regional partner needs your land, your access, or a strip along your frontage, you are about to become a participant in Florida’s eminent domain process, whether you planned for it or not.

Below is a working summary of the major FDOT and partner-agency projects you should be tracking in 2026, what they mean for nearby property, and how Florida law protects you when the government comes knocking. (For the North Florida companion piece, see our prior post on Major FDOT Projects You Should Know About in North Florida.)

Why FDOT’s Footprint Is Growing Right Now

Florida funded a record $13.7 billion FY 2025/26 transportation work program, with major slices reserved for highway and interchange work in FDOT District 5 (Central Florida, including Orlando) and FDOT District 7 (Tampa Bay and the western Suncoast). Statewide, the Moving Florida Forward initiative pulled $4 billion from general revenue surplus and pairs it with leveraged financing, contracting, and design tools to accelerate roughly 20 priority projects. A disproportionate share of those projects are in Central Florida.

That funding velocity is the headline. The quieter story is what happens on the ground. Right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, temporary construction easements, drainage takings, slope easements, and full-parcel condemnations are all being negotiated right now along the corridors below. If your property sits along any of them, the negotiation cycle has likely already started or is close to it.

Orlando and Greater Central Florida: Projects Worth Watching

1. Moving I-4 Forward and I-4 Beyond the Ultimate

The single largest infrastructure push in Central Florida is the Moving I-4 Forward program, which extends the I-4 Ultimate work through approximately 40 miles of additional capacity and express lane improvements. FDOT has approved a $500 million construction package to add 17 miles of new express lanes on the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando.

Inside that program, several projects are in active design, ROW, or construction:

• I-4 from US 27 to ChampionsGate Boulevard. A 3.4-mile reconstruction in Polk and Osceola counties, with construction beginning in 2026, according to the WFTV timeline reporting.
• I-4 from ChampionsGate to Osceola Parkway. Reconstruction, adding three general-use lanes, auxiliary lanes, and two special-use lanes in each direction, accelerated under the Beyond the Ultimate revised plan.
• I-4 / SR 535 loop ramp and Daryl Carter Parkway interchange. A new interchange at Daryl Carter Parkway between Sand Lake Road and SR 535 is scheduled to open in 2026, with the express purpose of relieving the well-known congestion near Walt Disney World, as detailed in Newsweek’s project preview.
• I-4 / Sand Lake Road ramp. A new ramp system at I-4 and Sand Lake Road opened in May 2026 to reduce backups in the Sand Lake commercial corridor.

The full Beyond the Ultimate program is targeted for completion by summer 2031. For owners along the I-4 alignment in Orange, Osceola, and Polk counties, this is the active acquisition window. Strip takings, access modifications, and pre-suit appraisals are happening now.

2. I-4 / SR 528 (Beachline) Interchange Reconstruction

Final ramp paving on the I-4 west off-ramp to eastbound SR 528 was completed in early 2026. The Beachline corridor is the spine of Orlando’s airport, hospitality, and convention center logistics, and ramp reconfigurations reset traffic patterns for businesses near International Drive, the Orange County Convention Center, and the Orlando International Airport cargo zones. Frontage roads, pylon signs, parking ratios, and access drives are all in play for retail, office, and hospitality assets along the corridor.

3. SR 528 (Beachline) Capacity Improvements: Goldenrod Road to Innovation Way

CFX is designing capacity improvements to add an eastbound lane along seven miles of SR 528 between Goldenrod Road and Innovation Way, expanding from two to three travel lanes through eastern Orange County. Construction began in 2025. This corridor cuts through the Lake Nona medical city growth area, where commercial site acquisition and ROW pinch points have been fact-specific and sometimes contentious.

4. Florida’s Turnpike / SR 91 and Sand Lake Road Interchange

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise is constructing a new interchange at the Turnpike and Sand Lake Road / SR 482 in Orange County. The estimated project cost is $114.6 million, with construction continuing through late 2027, according to FOX 35. The project required clearing roughly 35 acres of interstate ROW and includes new ramps, bridges, signals, and sidewalks. For commercial owners along Sand Lake, the issues to watch are partial takings, severance damages on residual parcels, and access modifications.

5. Florida’s Turnpike Widening: Sand Lake Road to SR 408

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise is conducting a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study to widen the Turnpike Mainline from south of Sand Lake Road to south of SR 408, evaluating widening from eight lanes to ten lanes with auxiliary lanes, plus alternatives for new interchange access. The widening covers approximately six miles in central Orange County.

6. Orlando South Ultimate Interchange (I-4 / Turnpike)

The Orlando South Ultimate Interchange project at I-4 and Florida’s Turnpike is one of the highest-volume merges in the state. Reconstruction is being phased to maintain traffic flow, but ROW activity touches commercial and industrial parcels in Osceola County.

7. SR 417 Widening Initiative

CFX has carried a decade-long initiative to widen SR 417 across multiple segments. The southern initiative between International Drive and SR 528 has been built in five segments to spread impact, and the northern corridor between SR 528 and the Orange / Seminole County line has been progressively widened through 2026.

8. MetroPlan Orlando Priority Projects

MetroPlan Orlando’s FY 2025/26 to FY 2029/30 Transportation Improvement Program and the Orlando Urban Area Prioritized Project List contain dozens of additional capacity, intersection, and bridge projects across Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. If you own commercial property in the Orlando metro, those documents are the early-warning system you should be reading.

Tampa Bay and the Suncoast: Projects Worth Watching

1. Howard Frankland Bridge Replacement

The new Howard Frankland Bridge is the most visible Tampa Bay project. The new southbound bridge opened to traffic in March 2025, with overall completion expected by summer 2026. Project cost has climbed to approximately $973.4 million, and the completed bridge will add general-use lanes, express toll lanes, and a dedicated shared-use path between Tampa and St. Petersburg. ROW questions for this project are largely resolved, but downstream tie-ins continue to drive partial takings into 2026.

2. Tampa’s Westshore Interchange (I-275 / SR 60)

FDOT launched construction on the $1 billion Westshore Interchange overhaul at I-275 and SR 60 in early 2026. The interchange sees more than 400,000 vehicles per day and is the linchpin between the Howard Frankland Bridge, the Veterans Expressway, and the Downtown Tampa Interchange. The Priority 1A phase carries a $643 million budget and adds flyover bridges, new ramps, and northbound express lanes from the Howard Frankland to the future Reo Street Bridge. Phase 1A wraps in 2030 according to FDOT’s open house materials.

This corridor sits next to Tampa International Airport and runs through some of the densest commercial real estate in the metro. Hotel, office, and parking-dependent retail owners have meaningful exposure.

3. I-275 Widening: 38th Avenue N to 4th Street N (Pinellas)

A Moving Florida Forward project, the I-275 widening in Pinellas County adds two tolled express lanes in each direction from north of 38th Avenue N to south of Gandy Boulevard, plus an additional express lane to 4th Street N. The project carries an estimated $340 million budget and includes interchange modifications at 38th Avenue N, 54th Avenue N, Gandy Boulevard, and Roosevelt Boulevard. Noise barriers will be constructed from north of 38th Avenue N to Gandy. A 12-foot shared-use path is being built along Ulmerton Road. A traffic shift on the southbound lanes between Roosevelt Boulevard and 38th Avenue N was completed in late January 2026, with overall completion targeted for late 2030.

4. Hillsborough TPO Priority Projects

The Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) FY 2026 to 2030 Transportation Improvement Program and the annual Priority List cover dozens of corridor and intersection projects, including I-75 / Big Bend Road interchange improvements, the Maydell Bridge reconstruction, and the South Coast Greenway in Ruskin. As with MetroPlan Orlando, owners along these corridors should be reading the priority list, not waiting for the certified mail.

5. Pasco County and Suncoast Parkway Connections

Pasco County’s MPO TIP layers further capacity work along the Suncoast Parkway corridor and US 41 / SR 54 / SR 56 improvements. ROW takings in newly developing parts of Pasco are creating a steady inventory of partial-take cases.

What “Eminent Domain” Actually Means When FDOT Calls You

Most property owners learn the eminent domain process in real time, after a letter shows up on letterhead. A couple of Florida-specific points should anchor your thinking before you negotiate anything.

Florida Constitutional Floor: “Full” Compensation, Not Just “Just” Compensation

The federal Fifth Amendment guarantees “just compensation,” but Article X, Section 6 of the Florida Constitution requires full compensation. That distinction is not academic. Full compensation in Florida is broader than federal fair market value and is meant to make the owner whole. Our prior post on Florida’s eminent domain process for commercial property owners walks through what that includes in practice.

The Statutes That Drive the Process

Two chapters of the Florida Statutes drive almost every FDOT or partner-agency acquisition:

• Chapter 73 (general eminent domain procedures, jury trial rights, business damages, and attorney’s fees).
• Chapter 74 (the “quick take” process FDOT typically uses, which lets the agency take possession before a final compensation amount is set).

Within Chapter 73, the workhorse provisions are Section 73.071 (jury determinations of value, severance damages, and business damages) and Section 73.092 (attorney’s fees, calculated on the benefits achieved over the agency’s initial offer).

Pre-Suit Negotiation Is Mandatory

Before FDOT, CFX, the Turnpike Enterprise, or any condemning authority files a lawsuit, Florida law requires a written offer and a copy of the supporting appraisal. We covered the practical mechanics in Florida’s New Eminent Domain Rules: What Business Owners Need to Know. The takeaway is simple. Do not respond to the first offer in a vacuum. The first offer sets the floor for your attorney’s fees and the benchmark against which your damages are measured.

Business Damages: The Florida Advantage

If you operate an established business on the property and the taking is partial, Section 73.071(3)(b) lets you recover business damages, which can include lost profits, increased operating expenses, and goodwill impacts. Most states do not allow this. We unpack the details in two pieces:

• Florida Eminent Domain: An Introduction to Business Damages (Part 1)
• Florida Eminent Domain: Calculating and Proving Business Damages (Part 2)

Attorney’s Fees and Costs: The Government Pays

Under Section 73.092, the condemning authority pays your reasonable attorney’s fees, calculated on the benefits achieved over the initial offer, plus reasonable appraisal, expert, and accounting fees. That fee-shifting structure is a core reason Florida property owners are not stuck choosing between fighting back and going broke.

Inverse Condemnation: When the Government Takes Without Filing

Sometimes the “taking” is functional, not formal. Drainage that floods your land, an access closure that strands your retail center, or a permanent change in elevation that destroys frontage all can support an inverse condemnation claim, even when no condemnation petition has ever been filed. We have written on the boundary between regulation and a taking for years, and Central Florida corridor projects produce some of the cleanest fact patterns.

Practical Checklist: If You Own Property Along a Central Florida Corridor

1. Confirm the project number. FDOT projects are tracked by Financial Project Identification (FPID) numbers. The Central Florida Roads project portal (CFLRoads.com) and the FDOT Tampa Bay project portal show schedules, scopes, and contacts.
2. Pull the design plans before you negotiate. The pre-suit offer is built on a design package. You cannot meaningfully evaluate severance damages, boundary line impacts, or access changes without it.
3. Order your own appraisal. The agency’s appraisal is one data point. A second appraisal that captures business damages, complex real property improvement issues, and lease impacts is what moves numbers.
4. Loop in counsel before the order of taking. Once a quick-take order issues under Chapter 74, the agency owns the property, and the fight shifts to dollars, not access. Most leverage exists earlier, in pre-suit and at the order of taking hearing.
5. Coordinate with tenants. Commercial leases often include condemnation clauses that allocate proceeds and termination rights. Review them before responding to the agency’s offer.
6. Watch for public-private partnership layers. Several Moving Florida Forward and Moving I-4 Forward corridors involve P3 design-build-finance teams, which changes who is across the table during ROW negotiations.
7. Track governmental rule changes. The Legislature has tinkered with eminent domain procedure in several recent sessions. Knowing the current version matters.
8. Document your business operations. If you operate on-site, contemporaneous financial records are the difference between a strong business damages claim and a weak one. Pay attention to easement language, too, because temporary construction easements often outlive their official expiration.

For the broader procedural map, our Florida Eminent Domain blog archive is the most comprehensive resource we maintain.

A Word On Construction Disruption (Even If You Are Not “Taken”)

Owners who are not in the direct path still feel the effects. Detours redirect traffic away from retail. Utility relocations create temporary construction law issues. Drainage changes can create new flowage. Where the impacts cross from “inconvenience” to a compensable taking is fact-specific and turns on Florida case law that has been refined over decades.
If your property is in any of the corridors above, the right next step is usually a quiet conversation with experienced counsel before you sign anything FDOT, CFX, the Turnpike Enterprise, or a Moving Florida Forward design-build team sends over. We help property owners in Orlando, Tampa, and across Florida navigate these acquisitions through pre-suit negotiation, order-of-taking hearings, mediation, trial, and appeal. Visit our Florida Eminent Domain practice area page to learn more, or reach out directly through our contact page.