LECANTO, Fla. — The Suncoast Parkway recently marked 25 years since opening to commuters.
What You Need To Know
For 25 years, the Suncoast Parkway has connected Tampa to Citrus County
Another 10 miles is currently being built, part of the Suncoast Parkway’s Phase 3 extension expected to be complete in 2029
Those with Mertailor’s Mermaid Aquarium Encounter have witnessed the parkway’s growth firsthand
The toll road is a popular route, spanning almost 50 miles from Tampa to Citrus County. But it’s also been the topic of division among some residents. With another 10 miles being built, the roadway is connecting even more travelers with places of interest throughout the state.
Located off Gulf to Lake Highway, you’ll find a unique business dedicated to all things under the sea.
“It’s been very exciting to watch this grow,” says Eric Ducharme, owner of Mertailor’s Mermaid Aquarium Encounter. “We have repeat guests coming back to see our shows and learn more about the aquatic life that we care for here.”
It offers visitors a chance to see rescued marine life up close and witness one of their popular mermaid shows.
“People said I was never going to make a living making mermaid tails or swimming as a mermaid or doing what I love to do,” said Ducharme. “I’m that proof that you can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it.”
It’s been quite the journey, Ducharme says. He started the business 25 years ago. And he has seen plenty of change, including what’s happened less than a mile from his front door.
“Five, six years ago when we bought this building, I had no idea that the dump out for the Suncoast Parkway was going to be literally, I don’t know, a half mile down the road.”
Ducharme says the Suncoast Parkway has played a significant role in attracting visitors, providing an alternate route to Citrus County from U.S. 19 and U.S. 41.
“Because Florida is growing and it’s pretty crazy, so I believe that having the parkway come through Citrus County is an easier way for people to get to or from work,” he said.
But it’s also been a source of division for some residents.
“We’re not against the Suncoast Parkway,” says resident Colleen Farmer. “We are concerned about the scale of excavation.”
Farmer is the chair of the Stop the Sand Mine Committee, a group of residents concerned about the groundwater impacts construction — like that of the Suncoast Parkway — is having on the environment.
“All this development is only bringing more development to our area, and we need to take care of our water resource,” said Farmer. “It is in Citrus County, our biggest resource, and it is the economic driver, really, for our area. Once we damage the aquifer, there really is no undoing that.”
With those questions continuing to be asked, the inevitability of the parkway’s extension also continues. And with it a boost for tourism. Visitors, Ducharme says, which the area relies on.
“They don’t want to go to Orlando,” said Ducharme. “They don’t want to go see parks, they want to do something small, they want to go to the nature parks, and we have all that here in Citrus County. So I think it makes it an easier access point for people to travel to and from Tampa and St. Petersburg to come up here to Citrus County and Crystal River and Lecanto and Inverness and all that in between.”
Phase 3 of the Suncoast Parkway extension is expected to be complete in 2029.