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Current route
Most of SR A1A runs along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, all the way to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns.
The number is rather unique; other than SR A1A Alt (now SR 811, SR 707, and SR 732), only two other Florida State Roads have begun with a letter (SR A19A, now several routes near St. Petersburg, and SR G1A, now SR 300) have existed. The road was assigned the number SR 1 in the 1945 renumbering as the easternmost major north-south road. However, just across the Intracoastal Waterway, and in some cases on the same side, is U.S. Highway 1 (SR 5), causing confusion. The State Road Board changed the number to SR A1A on November 25, 1946, about a year and a half after the renumbering. The twin A's are often said to stand for 'Atlantic 1 Alternate', but this argument fails when applied to the former A19A, a loop off US 19 near St. Petersburg, which touched the Gulf of Mexico rather than the Atlantic Ocean. On the other hand, the former SR G1A was on the Gulf.
SR A1A is signed north-south.
Major roads intersected
History Prior to the 1945 renumbering, the route that became SR 1 had the following numbers: SR 1 was defined in the 1945 renumbering as: Since then, the following changes have been made: - The section in Key West was added.
- The bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale was moved south; the old one became SR A1A Alt (now SR 842).
- The part from Lake Park to Jupiter became SR A1A Alt (now SR 811), and two new sections were added along the shore, from Riviera Beach to north of Lake Park and from Juno Beach to Jupiter. The latter is now CR A1A.
- The part from Jupiter to Hobe Sound became SR 707; SR A1A was extended south from Hobe Sound to meet SR 5 (US 1). This part is now CR A1A.
- The part north of Stuart was moved south to go east from downtown Stuart to the Atlantic Ocean; the old road became SR 707 and SR A1A Alt (now SR 707 and SR 732). Recently the part in downtown Stuart, west of SR 714, became CR A1A.
- Both bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Pierce were rebuilt and moved slightly south. The approach to the south one moved two blocks south.
- When Kennedy Space Center was built around 1950, SR A1A through it was closed and rerouted from the south to go west on SR 528. A small piece of the old road may have become SR 401, but SR 401 now ends before it reaches the old road. Cape Road, which runs east of Launch Complex 39, was SR A1A; it ended at former SR 402 at Playalinda Beach. The part from there to south of New Smyrna Beach was never built.
- SR A1A south of New Smyrna Beach is now CR A1A; part of it in New Smyrna Beach still exists. The part connecting to Titusville Beach was never built.
- The part south of Daytona Beach was routed onto a new bridge at Port Orange; the old road south of the bridge became CR A1A and is now CR 4075.
- SR A1A was realigned away from the Atlantic Ocean south of St. Augustine onto what had been SR 3; the south half of the old road became CR A1A.
- The two sections in St. Augustine were connected when SR 5 (US 1 was moved west onto a bypass and old SR 5 became SR 5A (Alt US 1).
- The north bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway at St. Augustine was moved north, with the east approach moving two blocks north.
- A bypass was built around Ponte Vedra Beach; the old road became SR 203 (later CR 203 in St. Johns County and Duval County).
- SR A1A was moved out of Jacksonville and onto what had been part of SR 101, a new alignment to the ferry across the St. Johns River, and what still is SR 105 and SR 200. The old road became an extension of SR 10.
- None of the spurs to the mainland are SR A1A any more. The one at West Palm Beach became part of SR 80 on October 25, 1946; the ones at Daytona Beach (now SR 600 and Ormond Beach (now SR 40) took longer. Specifically, SR 40 didn't originally go to Ormond Beach.
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