thanks again everyone for all your help . i hope it doesnt take 6hours we had planned on about 4hours my two boys have a portable dvd player at home for long journeys so they are going to really miss it on this journey. that the reason i thought it may be best to stop for a couple of hours half way but i guess its best to see how long it takes to get to near sarasota then make a decision then.

I-75 should have been 4-laned each way in the SW Florida area a few years back, instead it is not planned for 10 years. Plan on sitting, accidents or not. LMF

Orlando to Sarasota should not be a problem unless there is an accident--the biggest problem is Naples--coming back from the keys last week it took me an hour to go from Exit 111 to Exit 115, I-75 in Naples is only two lanes and depending upon the time of day can be really bad in season.