U.S. Route 17 begins at U.S. Route 41 in downtown Punta Gorda and kicks off a 1,200-mile journey to Winchester, Virginia. It passes through the inland areas of Arcadia, Bartow, Winter Haven, Orlando and Sanford, then runs alongside Interstate 95 through the Jacksonville area before crossing the St. Marys into southern Georgia, continuing to serve as I-95's surface counterpart from there. It overlaps with U.S. Route 92 for nearly 90 miles from Lake Alfred to DeLand in inland Volusia County, and runs close to Interstate 4 through greater Orlando.