Article talks about this unique public / private partnership Project to extend the Legacy Trail / Florida Gulf Coast Trail to Nathan Benderson Park.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 15, 2025

Media contact: [email protected], 908-329-0321

Groundbreaking: Construction Begins on New Beneva Road Connector to Advance the Florida Gulf Coast Trail

SARASOTA, Fl. – Trust for Public Land, Sarasota County, and our partners recently announced the groundbreaking on the new Beneva Road Connector — a half-mile multiuse trail that will link the Legacy Trail at Beneva Road to Fruitville Road. This new connector marks an exciting milestone in the development of the 420-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail, which will ultimately unite seven counties from Tampa to Naples.

The Beneva Road Connector will provide residents and visitors with new opportunities to walk, bike, and roll safely through four public parks, connecting neighborhoods to nature, recreation, and community destinations. When complete, the trail will strengthen local economies, promote healthy lifestyles, and improve transportation alternatives throughout Sarasota County.

Construction on this segment of the trail is expected to take 3 to 4 months. Once completed, it will allow users to go north to Fruitville Road and connect to the City of Sarasota's Circus trail and the Bobby Jones gulf course / conservation area and then to the County's 17th St., Park and then on to Nathan Benderson Park.

“This project represents a significant investment in community health, economic development, and sustainable transportation,” said Charles Hines, Program Director for the Florida Gulf Coast Trail for Trust for Public Land. “Funded and designed through a collaboration between the Friends of the Legacy Trail, the Maria Haber Charitable Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Sarasota County, the Beneva Road Connector exemplifies how partnerships can create meaningful infrastructure that connects people to nature and to one another.”

Learn more about the Florida Gulf Coast Trail and the work Trust for Public Land is doing to connect communities in Southwest Florida here.

About Trust for Public Land

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.