Crystal River businesses excited over prospect of added tourist traffic

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — A new expansion of the Suncoast Parkway has opened.

It’s just the second part in a three-phase project expanding the toll road from Tampa through Citrus County. With more traffic passing through, the expansion has local businesses excited for what it may do for the local economy.

Inside his store, Paddletail Waterfront Adventures, managing director Paul Cross clears out the shop.

“We are the state-of-the-art dive shop in this area,” said Cross.

For years, the business has served as a staple in Crystal River, offering kayak rentals, manatee encounters, as well as local lodging. A business, like many in the area, that thrives on tourism.

“The time frame after Christmas until the 3rd or 4th of the year in January is a phenomenal business for us,” said Cross. “We really look forward to being in the shop when manatee season kicks off and we look forward to a great season.”

It’s this tourism that has allowed Paddletail to expand into a brand-new building.

“We’re excited about being in a location that people will walk by going to the tiki bar, going to the pool area, using the boat ramp,” said Cross. “They’re going to see us. We’re going to be front and center, not to mention the fact that we’re right on the water. We can see the boats coming and going. Accessibility to us will be great.”

And more visitors may soon be on their way with the recent expansion of the Suncoast Parkway, expanding through Crystal River.

“We’re really excited about it,” said tourism director Auvis Cole for Discover Crystal River. “I mean, for us, the connectivity to Tampa being an hour away right now, it’s huge for the destination in our continued growth and development.”

Cole said that having the newly expanded road will help bring more traffic to the city with the hopes of replicating, or even doubling, the numbers they saw this past summer, which was a record-breaking year.

“We welcomed over 1.6 million visitors to this destination,” said Cole. “A lot of them came through the Suncoast Parkway, of course, through the Tampa market and the Orlando market, which are our biggest market force as well. But from an international standpoint, when they’re flying into TPA, they’re coming right down the Suncoast Parkway.”

So that area businesses, like Cross’s, may continue to thrive.

“We have people come in from all over the world — Germany, Denmark — come in here, and then our local drive market (doesn’t) even know it exists,” Cross said. “So come check it out and see what the fuss is about, it’s an unbelievable experience and it’s a great family activity.”

Putting this slice of Citrus County further on the map.

The third and final phase of the Suncoast Parkway will extend the road 5.5 miles north to County Road 495 in Crystal River. A completion date is expected by late 2026 or into 2027.