A 1.7-mile-long northwest-southeast road in Belle Glade

Belle Glade, Florida

Belle Glade is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. The population was 14,906 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2007, the city had a population of 16,739....

, State Road 717 is also known as West Canal Street, and East Canal Street. Parallelling the Hillsboro Canal

Hillsboro Canal

The Hillsboro Canal is located in the southeastern portion of Florida within the South Florida Water Management District, and for much of its length forms the border between Broward and Palm Beach counties; however, its western end is entirely in Palm Beach County. It begins at Lake Okeechobee at...

 its entire length, SR 717 extends from SR 715 to the intersection of SR 880

State Road 880 (Florida)

State Road 880 is a 0.4-mile long state highway in Belle Glade, Florida, running east from State Road 15-80 to State Road 717. From there the road continues east as County Road 880 to State Road 700 at Twenty Mile Bend. The whole road is a former alignment of State Road 80, which now uses the...

 and Palm Beach County Road 880 on the eastern edge of the city. To the west of its intersection with North Main Street (SR 15

State Road 15 (Florida)

State Road 15 is part of the Florida State Road System. It runs from SR 80/SR 880 at Belle Glade north along the east shore of Lake Okeechobee to Okeechobee. Then it runs north to SR 500 at Holopaw, and northwest along SR 500 to Ashton State Road 15 (commonly SR 15) is part of the Florida State...

-80

State Road 80 (Florida)

Florida State Road 80 is a route linking US 41 in Fort Myers and Florida State Road A1A in Palm Beach. The road is the northernmost of three linking Southwest Florida to South Florida via the Everglades...

), SR 717 follows the northern edge of the canal; between SR 15-80 and SR 880-CR 880 it follows the southern edge. State Road 717 is signed north–south.

The current configuration of the State Road is approximately one-third as long as its original route, which extended northward to the Belle Glade Municipal Golf Course at the edge of the Okeechobee Waterway

Okeechobee Waterway

The Okeechobee Waterway is a man-made waterway stretching from Fort Myers on the west coast to Stuart on the east coast of Florida. It was built/finished in 1937 to provide a water route across Florida, allowing boats to pass east–west across the state rather than travelling the long route around...

 (a canal ringing Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee , locally referred to as The Lake or The Big O, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida. It is the seventh largest freshwater lake in the United States and the second largest freshwater lake contained entirely within the lower 48 states...

), then past the Okeechobee Waterway to Kreamer Island

Kreamer Island

Kreamer Island is a small island in the south-easternmost part of Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Located in Palm Beach County just north of Torry Island, accessible only by airboat during the wet season and by recreational vehicles during dry season/droughts. The island was first settled in the 19th...

 (this "extension" has since been orphaned by Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Department of Transportation

The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

).

Continuing along East Canal Street past the southern terminus of SR 717, a motorist travels eastward on CR 880, itself a former part of SR 880 - which in turn follows the original configuration of US 441-SR 80 between Belle Glade and Twenty Mile Bend

Twenty Mile Bend

Twenty Mile Bend is an unofficial landmark located in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located at the intersection of State Road 80 and State Road 880. This location is both from West Palm Beach, as well as from Lake Okeechobee. However, the name is derived from State Road 880. ...

.

Some commercially-prepared maps erroneously show a "State Road 717" extending eastward from Pahokee

Pahokee, Florida

Pahokee is a city located on the shore of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,985 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,459. Culturally, Pahokee is associated with the Florida Heartland, although...

 on Muck City Road, but this is, in fact, Palm Beach County Road 717 serving the farmlands surrounding Pelican Lake

Pelican Lake, Florida

Pelican Lake is a small unincorporated community in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It lies north of Belle Glade, south-southeast of Canal Point, and east of Pahokee. Pelican Lake is on the south side of State Road 717.-Geography:...

. County Road 717 is often used as a short cut from Pahokee to eastbound US 98/SR 700

State Road 700 (Florida)

State Road 700 is the mostly unsigned Florida Department of Transportation State Road designation of US 98 between Chassahowitzka and Twentymile Bend...

 to West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach, Florida

West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...

.