State Road 44 (SR 44) is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Florida. It runs from Crystal River on the Gulf of Mexico east to New Smyrna Beach on the Atlantic Ocean, passing through Inverness, Wildwood, Leesburg and DeLand.
A section in Lake County, between eastern Leesburg and a point north of Mount Dora, is concurrent with U.S. Highway 441 (SR 500). This concurrency is not signed; signs on US 441 mark it as TO SR 44. The former alignment of SR 44 in that area is now mostly County Road 44, which runs north of Lake Eustis, on the other side as US 441 and current SR 44.
A former western extension of SR 44 from Crystal River to the Gulf of Mexico is now County Road 44. In some locations, it is signed as County Road 44W.
Route description
Crystal River to Inverness
State Road 44 begins as NE 5TH ST (then Gulf to Lake Highway) at the intersection of US 19/98 in Crystal River, a four-lane divided highway. The divider only exists at the intersection, however, the rest of the road is undivided throughout much of Western Citrus County. SR 44 runs directly east, until it leaves the city limits, then makes a sharper southeastern turn prior to the intersection of North Dunkenfield Avenue and West Norvell Bryant Highway (County Road 486). It briefly turns east again as it reaches the intersection of Rock Crusher Road, but curves back to the southeast roughly a mile later. The new interchange with the Suncoast Parkway Extension is built just northwest of where the divider begins again near the intersection of County Road 490 in Lecanto, after which the road turns east again.
After crossing Lecanto Highway (County Road 491), the divider becomes more prominent, The road runs up and down various hills as it runs along the northern border of Withlacoochee State Forest, and though it never stays straight, it still runs mostly east. Near a pair of shopping centers, the divider ends east of Croft Avenue, and the road resumes its status as an undivided four-lane highway with center-left turn lanes. Entering the Inverness City Limits, the road straightens out again at the intersection of South Pleasant Grove Road(County Road 581) and Forest Drive, where it becomes Main Street. CR 581 secretly joins SR 44 as a hidden route. One block before CR 581 leaves SR 44 to become its own route again, southbound US 41 joins SR 44. The two routes continue to move directly east until the intersection of Seminole Avenue, where it curves around the Old Citrus County Courthouse, and then moves to the southeast before breaking off at East Highland Boulevard, where US 41 continues towards Floral City, Brooksville, Tampa, and points south, while SR 44 moves onto Gulf-Atlantic Highway and becomes a divided highway once again.
Inverness to Leesburg
East of US 41, SR 44 runs over the Withlacoochee State Trail with bike ramps on both sides, and then along the southern shore of Lake Henderson. The rest of the road is surrounded by farms, parkland, and boat launching areas, especially as it gets ready to cross the Withlacoochee River at the Citrus-Sumter County Line, where it enters Rutland. The rural landscape continues even at the northwest end of County Road 470, which leads to Lake Panasoffkee, Sumterville, and Okahumpka in Lake County.
As the road enters Wildwood it is lined with truck stops, travel plazas, hotels, and other tourist attractions surrounding the interchange with Interstate 75 as well as Florida's Turnpike. The Florida Department of Transportation and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise have combined the ramps to and from the turnpike into those onto I-75. The road curves to the southeast again, as it approaches the western terminus of County Road 44A. After straightening out again, it approaches a four-lane bridge over the CSX Wildwood or Ocala Subdivision that was completed in 2010, just before the road intersects with US 301. East of US 301, the road takes another slight southeastern curve and later meets the eastern terminus of County Road 44A and then CR 468 in Orange Home, just before crossing the Lake County Line. A former railroad line running from Wildwood to Leesburg that ran along the south side of CR 44A runs along the north side of the road, when CR 44A ends