Hernando and Sumter Counties
State Road 50 begins at US 19 and Hernando County Road 550 in the former City of Weeki Wachee The first intersection around the east side of the city limits is with Deltona Boulevard(Hernando CR 589), which can be found on the opposite side of the West Hernando County Public Library. From here the road is mostly lined with residential properties to the south and sparse commercial offices ranging from a Hernando County Firehouse, to an office for the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, to random medical offices. East of Nightwalker Road and July Avenue, SR 50 enters land owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the right-of-way for a set of power lines. From there, the road becomes the official northern border between Spring Hill and unincorporated Brooksville as it approaches the Sand Hill Scout Reservation. Immedatley after the entrance to the aforementioned Boy Scout Camp, the road intersects Oak Hill Hospital on the opposite side. Shortly after the hospital, SR 50 climbs a hill and intersects with the gateway to High Point.
From this point on, SR 50 is a symbol of the suburban sprawl that defines Hernando County. It also contains a series of disconnected frontage roads similar to those on US 19. Though most of the stores along these frontage roads consist of mini-malls, medical offices, and the occasional automotive repair shop, three major shopping centers can be found at the intersection with Mariner Boulevard, which is designated as Hernando CR 587 south of SR 50. East of those three major shopping centers is a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Sam's Club Warehouse on the same side of the street. The Sam's Club is just west of the intersection of Sunshine Grove Road(Hernando CR 493) and Twin Dolphin Road, where SR 50 crosses the right-of-way for another set of power lines. While SR 50 climbs a hill and then descends, Twin Dolphin runs parallel to the eastbound lane as it climbs its own hill but then terminates at the same eastbound lane before SR 50 intersects Hernando CR 585(Barclay Avenue) and the entrance to Brookridge. From here the road runs along the southern edge of Brookridge until it intersects Oak Avenue, just before it passes under a pedestrian/bicycle bridge west of the interchange Suncoast Parkway, and instantly intersects Hernando CR 570(Wiscon Road), where the road curves to the northeast. Curving back to direct east, SR 50 intersects another former section at Hernando CR 484 and then serves as the northern terminus for Hernando CR 583(California Street). The right-of-way for the frontage road on the south side terminates in just east of Colorady Street, then the road descends towads Lykes Dublin Road and passes by Brooksville Regional Hospital, which moved out of the City of Brooksville in the first decade of the 21st Century. The road then curves northeast towards the City of Brooksville. A right-of way for another frontage road was built on the north side of SR 50 in front of the hospital, and was assumed to be for nurses quarters for the hospital. This roadway was intended to strecth as far east as Mobley Road. Neither the road nor the nurses quarters have been built as of this writing.
At the southern end of Hernando CR 485 and the west end of Florida State Road 50A, SR 50 takes a sharp right turn and joins US Truck Route 98 around downtown Brooksville, but never truly leaves the city limits. Curving to the southeast near the Hernando County Sheriff's Department headquarters, the remainder of the former rural characteristics of Brooksville can still be found, until it approaches US 41 where hidden Florida State Road 700 secretly joins the road. Climbing another hill, the road turns direct east again where it passes in front of a pair of churches before the intersection of Hernando County Road 445(Main Street) and Mitchell Road, and then an at-grade crossing with CSX's Brooksville Subdivision. After the intersection with Hernando CR 581, the road turns northeast as it approaches the intersection of Jasmine Boulevard, but more importantly US 98 and the eastern terminus of SR 50A, as well as the eastern terminus of US Truck Route 98. From here the speed limit increases to 60 miles per hour. It moves primarily southeast through farmland and wooded swampland. US 98/SR 50 finally turns straight east again when it runs between a pair of lakebeds before the intersection with Hernando CRs 484 and 541. At this point, the road moves up and down a series of hills but first passes by communities such as Rolling Acres and Hill 'n Dale, where a residential frontage road can be found on the north side. The hills continue along the road, but along more farms and sparsely populated areas. One trailer park can be found just west of Lockhart Road, which is the site of numerous dog shows. Entering the unincorporated community of Ridge Manor West, the road approaches some hotels, gas stations and restaurants serving motorist and tourists on Interstate 75. US 98-FL 50 is the only interchange along I-75 in Hernando County, and the left-turn lanes leading to the on-ramps are notoriously short. Directly east of I-75 is a development that shares the community's namesake as well as one shopping center.
The road takes one last drop, only to rise again and officially enter Ridge Manor at the intersection of Kettering Road and Croom-Rital Road which leads to a trailhead for the Withlacoochee State Trail US 98-FL 50 pass under a bridge for this trail. At the crossing over the Withlacoochee River, two former sections of the road exist on the east side of the river; Paul N. Steckle Lane, and Ridge Manor Boulevard. The shorter Paul N. Steckle Lane exists on the north side and contains a Hernando County Firehouse, local residences, and one entrance to the Cypress Lake Preserve. Ridge Manor Boulevard begins on the south side, and crosses over to the north side east of the firehouse and west of the Hernando County Eastside Solid Waste Convenience Station. When US 98 turns southeast toward Trilby, Dade City, and West Palm Beach, SR 50 continues east and narrows down to two lanes. The final major intersection in Hernando County is with US 301. After this, the road passes by a sand mine, and the right-of way for an abandoned segment of Ridge Manor Boulevard, before it crosses the CSX Wildwood Subdivision(part of the S-Line), and then serves as the northern terminus of Hernando CR 575 which becomes a State Road once it enters Pasco County. SR 50 turns northeast and enters Withlacoochee State Forest. Within the forest, the road crosses the Little Withlacoochee River, a tributary of the Withlacoochee River, where it crosses the Hernando-Sumter County Line.
As SR 50 enters Sumter County, it continues to move further north, however at the intersection of Sumter CR 478A, it turns back east before it enters Tarrytown and eventually intersects Florida State Road 471 where one can find a clear view of a lumber mill. East of here, SR 50 runs along the north side of the former Orange Belt Railway right-of-way. Both SR 50 and the railroad bed pass through the rural unincorporated communities of Linden and then Mabel, which serves as the northern terminus for the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail. Access to the trail can be found east of a railroad bridge which goes over the right-of-way for a former railroad line once used by Seaboard Air Line Railroad that spanned from Coleman to Auburndale in Polk County until the 1980s. This bridge is in the process of being removed by the Florida Department of Transportation. The last intersection in Sumter County is CR 469, which takes motorists to Center Hill. SR 50 crosses the Sumter-Lake County Line in the vicinity of a series of power lines.
Read more about this topic: Florida State Road 50, Route Description