The railroad line was originally built in 1911 as part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's extension to Venice. The railroad line provided passenger service to Venice until 1971. The railroad line was integral to Venice's history and benefited the city's economy. The railroad was used by cadets and faculty of the Kentucky Military Institute for winter classes from 1933 to 1970, transported patients to Fred H. Albee's FloridaMedical Center from 1932 to 1942, transported goods and servicemen to Venice Army Air Field during World War II, and used by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which was headquartered in Venice from 1959 to 1992. The circus was the last consistent service the rail line carried. Due to decreased demand for service and the heavily deteriorated condition of the tracks and bridges, CSX Transportation and Seminole Gulf Railway, who had been leasing the line from CSX since 1987, came to an agreement with Sarasota County to abandon the railroad line south of Palmer Ranch. In return, Sarasota County, in conjunction with The Trust for Public Land, purchased and acquired the right of way in December 2004 for $11.75 million to use as a public recreational trail. The Legacy Trail opened to the public on March 28, 2008. In 2011, a pedestrian overpass was built to carry the trail over the Venice Bypass, a major six-lane highway. Prior to the overpass's construction, trail users had to use a crosswalk at an adjacent intersection. The $3.1 million overpass is tall, spans, and was built with federal stimulus funding. Another pedestrian overpass constructed by FDOT over Laurel Road started construction in November 2017 and was completed in late 2018.
Northern extension
Sarasota County is planning to extend the Legacy Trail beyond its current northern terminus into the city of Sarasota. The extension will continue the trail along the railroad corridor an additional to Fruitville Road, connecting with Payne Park towards downtown Sarasota. In early 2017, Seminole Gulf Railway and CSX announced their intention to abandon an additional of the remaining southern segment of the railroad up to a point just south of Fruitville Road. In December 2017, Sarasota County, in conjunction with The Trust for Public Land, purchased and acquired of the former railroad corridor right of way for $7.9 million, which extended the county's ownership of the corridor up to Ashton Road, approximately north of Clark Road. In November 2018, Sarasota County voters approved a referendum to acquire and improve of the former railroad corridor and constructing the trail. Construction also includes two overpasses and trail connection improvements.
Route description
The north end of the Legacy Trail is just south of the Seminole Gulf Railway's current terminus near Palmer Ranch. From there, it travels south in a straight line towards Venice. It passes through Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey and has a direct connection with the park's trails. After leaving the park, the trail continues south, passes underneath State Road 681 and through Nokomis. South of Nokomis, the trail crosses Dona Bay and enters Venice. The trail overpasses U.S. 41 Bypass then to the historic Venice Seaboard Air Line Railway Station, which is also used as a SCAT bus station. At the station, the trail goes on to connect with the Venetian Waterway Park at Venice Avenue, another trail that continues south along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico. The Legacy Trail contains references to its past as a Seminole Gulf Railway corridor. The trail's milepost numbers correspond to the railroad's original mile numbering. The original trestle bridge crossing remains at South Creek, located just south of the Oscar Scherer State Park trailhead. Information plaques are placed along the trail detailing the history of the railroad corridor. Roadway crossings also include decorative railroad crossing signals with crossbucks reading Sarasota Rail Trail.
