Please scroll to the bottom of this article for updates.
Last year, (July 24, 2019) speaking outside the Turnpike headquarters at the Turkey Lake service plaza, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state would be adding Level 3 charging stations for electric vehicles at all Florida Turnpike service plazas beginning by the end of the year.
For those with a Facebook account click here for a video of the Governor's remarks.
The following graphic was also provided at the news conference illustrating the current and planned charging infrastructure at the Turnpike. (To view the graphic full-size, right click on the image and open it in a new tab.)
You will note that the graphic shows Tesla providing future Superchargers at the Okahumpka, Canoe Creek, Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce, West Palm Beach and Pompano Beach service plazas along the Turnpike. It also shows Tesla adding charging terminals at the existing Turkey Lake and Fort Drum Supercharger locations. The exact number of future Tesla charging terminals has not yet been determined.
Although the Governor stated that all service plazas would have level 3 chargers, the graphic does not show any new Fast Chargers or Superchargers at the Snapper Creek service plaza.
The stations will be funded by the state’s $166 million share of the Volkswagen emissions settlement (DieselGate), for which 15%, or about $25 million, was designated to be used on electric charging infrastructure.
In addition to the Turnpike, DeSantis said the goal is to have similar stations off of major interstate exits across the state.
“We want to be able to have similar fast charging stations across all of Florida’s major highways,” DeSantis said. “And so if you’re driving [on Interstate] 95 from Miami to Daytona Beach, you can rest assured you can get off an exit and just like you get gasoline, you’re going to have the ability to have access to this.”
Update as of June 20, 2020.
The Tesla Find Us map shows that the Fort Drum Supercharger Station currently has 6 operating Supercharger Terminals. A patron of that station noticed that work has begun to add four more terminals to the location. Please note in the photo below the four terminals at the end that are covered pending activation.
Update as of June 21, 2020.
Update as of June 30, 2020.
The three photos above are of a ChargePoint Fast Chargers with CHAdeMO and CCS (Combined Charging System) connectors funded by FPL. There will be four of these chargers, each has a capacity of up to 62.5 kW. In the last photo the CHAdeMO connector is above the CCS connector. These ChargePoint chargers, along with the 4 additional Supercharger terminals, will complete the planned EV infrastructure expansion at Fort Drum. If the 10 Supercharger terminals are occupied, those Tesla owners with a CHAdeMO adapter have another lower power charging alternative.
For those of you traveling on the Florida Turnpike and stopping at this location, please take some high-resolution photo of the construction progress and send them to me. Also when traveling to the other service plazas on the Turnpike, please check for signs of new Tesla Superchargers.
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Larry Chanin
President, Florida Tesla Enthusiasts
email: lfchanin@gmail.com
Website: teslaownersflorida.org
Facebook: Florida Tesla Enthusiasts
