{{short description|State highway in Florida, United States}} {{Use American English|date=March 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox road | state = FL | type = SR | route = 789 | marker_image = x88px | map = {{maplink-road|from=Florida State Road 789.map}} | map_notes = SR 789 highlighted in red | map_custom = yes | maint = FDOT | length_round = 3 | length_ref = <ref name=FDOT/> | established = | tourist = <!--x24px--> Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway | length_mi = 17.616 | direction_a = South | direction_b = North | terminus_a = {{jct|state=FL|US|41}} in Sarasota | terminus_b = {{jct|state=FL|SR|64}} in Holmes Beach | junction = *{{jct|state=FL|SR|684}} in Bradenton Beach *x24px City Route 789 in Holmes Beach | counties = Sarasota, Manatee | previous_type = SR | previous_route = 786 | next_type = SR | next_route = 794 }} '''State Road 789''' ('''SR 789''') is a {{convert|17.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} state road along Florida’s Gulf Coast that spans Bird Key, St. Armands Key, and Lido Key, in Sarasota; Longboat Key (as '''Gulf of Mexico Drive'''); and Anna Maria Island. The southern terminus is the intersection of the John Ringling Causeway and Tamiami Trail (US Highway 41, US 41) in Sarasota; the northern terminus is the intersection of Gulf Drive, North and Manatee Avenue., West (SR 64) in Holmes Beach. Much of the northernmost {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} has been designated '''Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway'''.
Additional sights along SR 789 include Ken Thompson Park (featuring Mote Aquarium on City Island), and the scenery of Gulf of Mexico Drive as it travels the length of Longboat Key.
==Route description== thumb|right|SR 789 in Bradenton Beach at western terminus of SR 684 SR 789 begins at an intersection with US 41 in Sarasota, Sarasota County, heading west on North Gulfstream Avenue, a four-lane divided highway. The road runs to the north of Sarasota Bay before passing through an area of high-rise residential buildings. The state road curves southwest and becomes the John Ringling Causeway, crossing over Sarasota Bay on the Ringling Bridge. SR 789 runs across the northern part residential Bird Key before crossing more of the bay and heading onto St. Armand's Key. At this point, the roadway becomes John Ringling Boulevard and heads into commercial areas. SR 789 reaches the St. Armand's Circle and turns northwest onto Boulevard of the Presidents. The road passes homes before crossing a channel and narrowing into two-lane undivided John Ringling Parkway as it heads through areas of trees. The state road enters residential areas and curves northeast before turning to the northwest and heading over a drawbridge and heading into Longboat Key. Here, SR 789 becomes Gulf of Mexico Drive and passes between homes to the northeast and the Longboat Key Golf Club to the southwest. The road continues to the northwest, running between more residences to the northeast and resorts fronting the Gulf of Mexico to the southwest. Farther northwest, the state road heads through resort development on a narrow barrier island with the Gulf of Mexico to the southwest and Sarasota Bay to the northeast.<ref name=FDOT>{{cite web |title = Straight-Line Diagrams |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |url = http://www2.dot.state.fl.us/straight-linesonline/ |accessdate = July 24, 2012 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130622041949/http://www2.dot.state.fl.us/straight-linesonline/ |archivedate = June 22, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="google">{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=N+Tamiami+Trail&daddr=E+Bay+Dr&hl=en&sll=27.493768,-82.70319&sspn=0.010221,0.021136&geocode=FaocoQEdSm8U-w%3BFaqSowEd3vsR-w&t=h&mra=ls&z=11 |title = Overview of State Road 789 |access-date = August 16, 2012 }}</ref>
SR 789 crosses into Manatee County and continues through more resort residential and commercial development in Longboat Key. Farther northwest, the road turns to the north and comes to a drawbridge over Longboat Pass. At this point, the state road heads onto Anna Maria Island and becomes Gulf Drive South, passing through areas of trees. SR 789 enters Bradenton Beach and heads into areas of resort homes and businesses, with the beach along the Gulf of Mexico immediately to the west of the road. The road comes to an intersection with the western terminus of SR 684 and becomes Gulf Drive North, heading through more resort areas. The state road briefly curves northwest before heading north again and crossing into Holmes Beach. Here, SR 789 becomes East Bay Drive and passes through areas of homes and businesses with some woods to the east of the road before coming to its northern terminus at an intersection with SR 64.<ref name=FDOT/><ref name="google"/>
City Route 789 (Gulf Drive) has a rather odd beginning where it branches off of its SR 789 counterpart instead of continuing straight from its northern terminus. It first meets SR 64 in Holmes Beach, which goes to Bradenton. It then passes by Marina Drive, along with several shops. It then makes a right turn onto Pine Avenue before ending at North Bay Boulevard and South Bay Boulevard in Anna Maria.<ref>{{Cite web |last = Nitzman |first = Alex |title = State Road 789 North |url = https://www.aaroads.com/guides/fl-789-north |access-date = April 25, 2026 |website = AARoads |language = en }}</ref>
==History== The current route of SR 789 was designated as part of SR 18 when it was added to the state highway system, with the route north of Bradenton Beach (known then as Cortez Beach) on Anna Maria Island being designated SR 18A.<ref>{{cite map |author = Florida State Road Department |year = 1936 |title = Sarasota, 1936 |url = https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/2100/f2137/f2137b.pdf |via = Florida Center for Instructional Technology, University of South Florida |scale = Scale not given |location = Tallahassee |publisher = Florida State Road Department |access-date = June 21, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite map |author = Florida State Road Department |year = 1936 |title = Manatee, 1936 |url = https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/2700/f2790/f2790b.pdf |via = Florida Center for Instructional Technology, University of South Florida |scale = Scale not given |location = Tallahassee |publisher = Florida State Road Department |access-date = July 16, 2024 }}</ref> The route connected Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island via a bridge that was built in 1926, though this bridge was destroyed by a hurricane in 1932.<ref name="bridge">{{cite news |title = Bridges provided vital island link |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QwYiAAAAIBAJ&dq=longboat+pass+bridge&pg=PA60&article_id=4857,520477 |access-date = July 15, 2024 |newspaper = Sarasota Herald-Tribune |date = June 16, 1999 |via = Google Books }}</ref> After the 1945 Florida state road renumbering, the route was redesignated as part of SR 780 on Longboat Key and points south, while parts of the route on Anna Maria Island were part of SR 684. At the same time, the SR 789 designation was first applied to present-day Midnight Pass Road, Higel Road, and Siesta Drive on Siesta Key, connecting the island with US 41 in southern Sarasota. SR 789 was also applied to roads connecting to Casey Key.<ref name="fdot 1949">{{cite map |author = State Road Department of Florida |title = Official State Road Map of Florida |year = 1949 |url = https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/co-gis/past_statemap/flstatemap1949.pdf?sfvrsn=c2ecbe34_0 |scale = Scale not given |location = Tallahassee |publisher = State Road Department of Florida |access-date = July 18, 2024 }}</ref>
The connection between Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island was restored in 1957 upon the completion of the current Longboat Pass Bridge.<ref>{{cite web |title = SR 789 over Longboat Key Pass |url = https://data.tallahassee.com/bridge/florida/manatee/sr-789-over-longboat-key-pass/12-130057/ |website = Tallahassee Democrat |access-date = July 16, 2024 }}</ref> By the time the bridge was completed, the route from St. Armands Circle to the north end of Anna Maria Island was redesignated as a discontinuous segment of SR 789. The John Ringling Causeway would remain as part of SR 780 until the 1980s when it also became part of SR 789.<ref>{{cite map |author = United States Geological Survey |year = 1956 |title = Tampa, FL |url = https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/topomapexplorer/#maps=53838&loc=-82.50,27.34&LoD=11.89 |scale = 1:250,000 |location = Reston, Virginia |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = July 11, 2024 }}</ref>
In the 1960s, SR 789 was rerouted to connect with SR 64 from the south via East Bay Drive.<ref>{{cite map |author = United States Geological Survey |year = 1964 |title = Bradenton Beach, FL |url = https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/topomapexplorer/#maps=50006&loc=-82.71,27.50&LoD=15.51 |scale = 1:24,000 |location = Reston, Virginia |publisher = United States Geological Survey |access-date = August 7, 2024 }}</ref>
The Siesta Key segment of SR 789 was later redesignated as SR 758 in the 1980s, which also included Bee Ridge Road east to Interstate 75. The segments of SR 789 to Casey Key were given to county control.<ref name="fdot 1985">{{cite map |author = State Road Department of Florida |title = Official State Road Map of Florida |year = 1985 |url = https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/co-gis/past_statemap/flstatemap1985.pdf?sfvrsn=c05ea1b6_0 |scale = Scale not given |location = Tallahassee |publisher = State Road Department of Florida |access-date = July 18, 2024 }}</ref>
In the early 1980s, SR 789 north of SR 64 on Anna Maria Island was relinquished to county control.<ref>{{cite map |author = Florida Department of Transportation |date = February 1989 |title = General Highway Map: Manatee County |url = https://ftp.fdot.gov/public/folder/z5Bd8YVVCU_NsjncGLjB-g/ROWMap/D1/Manatee/IndxManatee.pdf |scale = Scale not given |location = Tallahassee |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = August 6, 2024 }}</ref> Manatee County has since transferred this segment to city control. The city of Holmes Beach has designated this portion as City Road 789 with its own unique shield.
==Bridges== ===John Ringling Causeway=== {{main article|John Ringling Causeway}} The John Ringling Causeway carries SR 789 over Sarasota Bay, from Sarasota to St. Armands Key and Lido Key. The 65-foot-tall (20 m) bridge, built in 2003, is a segmental box girder bridge named after John Ringling, one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus and resident of the Sarasota area.
===New Pass Bridge=== The '''New Pass Bridge''' is a single-leaf bascule bridge that crosses the New Pass, connecting Sarasota and Longboat Key, Florida. The bascule bridge carries John Ringling Parkway, part of SR 789, and it was built in 1986, replacing the original bridge built in 1929.<ref>{{Cite web |title = SR-789 over New Pass, Sarasota County, Florida |url = http://bridgereports.com/1081163 |access-date = October 18, 2020 |website = BridgeReports.com }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = New Pass Bridge |url = http://bridgehunter.com/fl/sarasota/170158 |access-date = October 18, 2020 |website = Bridgehunter.com }}</ref>
===Longboat Pass Bridge=== {{main article|Longboat Pass Bridge}}
The Longboat Pass Bridge carries SR 789 over Longboat Pass, connecting Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach, Florida. It was built in 1957, replacing an old swing bridge that existed from 1926 to 1932.<ref name="bridge"/>
==Major intersections== {{jcttop|state=FL|length_ref=<ref name=FDOT/>}} {{FLint |county=Sarasota |cspan=4 |location=Sarasota |lspan=3 |mile=0.000 |road={{jct|state=FL|US|41|name1=North Tamiami Trail / Bayfront Drive / SR 45|to2=to|I|75|SR|780|location1=Sarasota-Bradenton Airport|city2=Bradenton}} |notes=Southern terminus }} {{jctbridge |mile=0.472 |mile2=1.058 |bridge=John Ringling Causeway over Sarasota Bay (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) }} {{FLint |mile=2.27 |road=John Ringling Boulevard – Lido Beach |notes=Traffic circle }} {{jctbridge |location_special=Sarasota<br>Longboat Key |mile=3.342 |mile2=3.527 |bridge=New Pass Bridge over New Pass }} {{jctbridge |state=FL |county=Manatee<!--8.899=0--> |cspan=3 |location_special=Longboat Key<br>Bradenton Beach |mile=13.444 |mile2=13.849 |bridge=Longboat Pass Bridge over Longboat Pass }} {{FLint |location=Bradenton Beach |mile=15.565 |road={{jct|state=FL|SR|684|dir1=east|name1=Cortez Road|to2=to|US|41|city1=Cortez}} |notes= }} {{FLint |location=Holmes Beach |mile=17.616 |road={{jct|state=FL|SR|64|name1=Manatee Avenue|city1=Anna Maria|city2=Bradenton}} |notes=Northern terminus }} {{jctbtm}}
==Related roads== ===County Road 789=== {{Infobox road small |state=FL |county=Sarasota |type=CR |route=789 |location=Laurel–Osprey–Casey Key |length_mi=2.1 |length_ref=<ref name="CR 789s">{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/dir/27.1248404,-82.4536894/27.1245158,-82.4702881/@27.1243629,-82.4647413,2010m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e0?entry=ttu |title = County Road 789 (South) |access-date = July 18, 2024 }}</ref><ref name="CR 789n">{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/dir/27.1796659,-82.4824163/27.179996,-82.4981541/@27.178562,-82.4927226,1379m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e0?entry=ttu |title = County Road 789 (North) |access-date = July 18, 2024 }}</ref> |length_round= |formed= |deleted= |historic= |yr_ref= }}
'''County Road 789''' ('''CR 789''') is the unsigned designation applied discontinuously to two roads connecting to Casey Key. Both segments were previously discontinuous segments of SR 789.<ref name="fdot 1949" />
The southern segment is known as '''Albee Road''', which runs from US 41 (Tamiami Trail) in Laurel east to Casey Key. It crosses the Albee Road Bridge, a two-lane bascule bridge that was built in 1963, replacing a swing bridge built in 1922. Albee Road is named for Fred Albee, who was known for large-scale development of nearby Nokomis and Venice in the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web |title = Historical Development of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway |url = https://sarasota.wateratlas.usf.edu/ |website = Sarasota County Water Atlas |access-date = July 19, 2024 }}</ref>
The northern segment runs along '''Blackburn Point Road''', which runs from US 41 (Tamiami Trail) in Osprey west to Casey Key. It crosses the historic Blackburn Point Bridge, a historic swing bridge that was built in 1926 to connect the mainland and Casey Key.<ref>{{cite web |title = The Historic Highway Bridges of Florida |url = https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/environment/pubs/historic-highway-bridges-of-florida-2010-update.pdf?sfvrsn=3bb9ce42_0 |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |author = Environmental Management Office |access-date = April 30, 2019 }}</ref> {{-}} ===County Road 789A=== {{Infobox road small |state=FL |county=Sarasota |type=CR |route=789A |location=Siesta Key |length_mi=2.6 |length_ref=<ref name="CR 789a">{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/dir/27.2668759,-82.5459485/27.2899277,-82.5590266/@27.2776349,-82.5624109,15.24z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-82.5642632!2d27.2735735!3s0x88c36a09a8b5d45b:0xc8e36873aa5da0d7!1m0!3e0?entry=ttu |title = County Road 789A |access-date = July 19, 2024 }}</ref> |length_round= |formed= |deleted= |historic= |yr_ref= }} '''County Road 789A''' ('''CR 789A''') runs on the western side of Siesta Key. The unsigned route begins at Midnight Pass Road (CR 758) and runs west along '''Beach Road''' for about {{convert|1.25|mi|km}}. It then turns north along '''Ocean Boulevard'''. It then turns north along '''Higel Avenue''' for about {{convert|600|ft|m}} before returning to Midnight Pass Road and terminating.<ref name="CR 789a"/>
CR 789A was previously SR 789A. It served as a secondary route to Midnight Pass Road, which was SR 789 before it became SR 758 in the 1980s. {{-}}
===City Road 789=== {{infobox road small |state=FL |marker_image=x40px |name=City Road 789 |location=Holmes Beach–Anna Maria |length_mi=4.000 }} '''City Route 789'''<ref>{{cite web |title = State Road 789 North |url = https://www.aaroads.com/guides/fl-789-north/ |website = AARoads |access-date = July 22, 2024 }}</ref> is a former segment of SR 789 that was transferred to city control.
'''Major intersections'''<br/> {{jcttop|state=FL|county=Manatee|type=road|length_ref=<ref name=FDOT/>}} {{FLint |location=Holmes Beach |lspan=2 |mile=0.00 |road={{jct|state=FL|SR|789|name1=East Bay Drive|city1=Sarasota|nolink1=yes}} |notes=Southern terminus }} {{FLint |mile=0.612 |road={{jct|state=FL|SR|64|dir1=east|name1=Manatee Avenue|to2=to|SR|789|city1=Bradenton|nolink2=yes}} |notes=Western terminus of SR 64 }} {{FLint |location=Anna Maria |lspan=2 |mile=3.8 |road={{jct|state=FL|SR|64|name1=Manatee Avenue|city1=Anna Maria|city2=Bradenton}} |notes= }} {{FLint |mile=4.000 |road=North Bay Drive/South Bay Drive |notes=Northern terminus }} {{jctbtm}} {{-}} ==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Attached KML|display=inline,title}} *[http://www.floridascenichighways.com/bradenton-beach-scenic-highway/ Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway (Florida Scenic Highways)]
789 789 789 SR 789 Category:Sarasota, Florida