Florida Midland Railroad (defunct)

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The Florida Midland Railway Company was incorporated under the general incorporation laws of Florida, and surveyed a line

from Lake Jessup, in Orange county, to Leesburg, in Sumter county.

Florida state law chapter 3652, approved February 10, 1885, reincorporated the company. At the time, ten miles had been graded. It was to be owned by E. W. Henck, S. M. Breuster, Carl Cushing, A. Menser and C. E. Munson of Florida, and Edward Page, Charles W. Morris and Cyrus Carpenter of Boston, Massachusetts. The line was extended,

beginning at a point on the Indian River and running through the counties of Brevard and Orange to Leesburg, in Sumter county, or to Eustis, in Orange county, or to points or a point of connection with railroads or a railroad running from these places, or from either of them, and from a point on the line of said road, in Orange county, to a point on the Gulf of Mexico, running through the counties of Orange, Sumter, Polk, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee and Monroe, or such of them as may be necessary to reach the terminal point, which shall be selected on the Gulf of Mexico.

Land grants were promised, as long as part of it was completed within a year.

Florida state law chapter 3795, approved June 2, 1887, expanded the area from which land grants could be chosen, and extended the deadline to June 1, 1888.

The company later became the Florida Midland Railroad Company. The line actually built was rather different, running from Clifton on Lake Jessup west to Apopka, but then turning south to Kissimmee.

[edit] Current conditions

From Clifton to Apopka, the railroad has been abandoned for about 100 years, and almost no traces are left. Parts of the right-of-way were used to construct SR 434.

From Apopka to Clarcona, the right-of-way is used for the West Orange Trail.

From Clarcona to Ocoee, the right-of-way is currently owned by CSX and run by the Florida Central Railroad.

From Ocoee to Kissimmee, the railroad is abandoned, and some elements remain.