Starting at US 98 across from the intersection of Fifth Street in Port St. Joe as a four-lane divided highway named Cecil G. Costin Senior Boulevard, the road is within viewing distance of the Gulf of Mexico, where it runs east and west rather than the signed north and south route that it is. Along the way it encounters one of the two north ends of County Road 384 The road crosses a diagonal Apalachicola Northern Railroad line that has crossing gates in perfectly lined up with each other from both lanes, and as it curves towards the north it crosses another ANR railroad line. Between these two railroad lines, the surroundings become more rural as the road becomes a two-lane undivided route and southern pine trees surround it. The other north end of CR 384 is at an unmarked and gated dirt road. After crossing a bridge over the St. Joe Paper Company Fresh Water Canal, it serves as the eastern terminus of County Road 382, which runs parallel to the northwest side of SR 71 to US 98. The road maintains the same trajectory until it curves slightly to the left before crossing the Elgin Bayliss Bridge over Searcy Creek in White City, but still continues running northeast nevertheless. North of the community limits, the road passes by the Florida Division of Forestry's White City Fire Tower, and then has a shared intersection with the former County Road 50 and County Road 387. The road curves from northeast to northwest just before the County Road 381A near Dalkeith and later has an intersection with County Road 381 in Gaskins Still. The eastern terminus of County Road 386, is one more moderate intersection within rural Gulf County before State Road 71 runs north through the City of Wewahitchka, where it encounters the eastern terminus of State Road 22, but not before the intersection with its county extension, the western terminus of County Road 22 at Lakegrove Road. North of Wewahitchka, the road runs along the west side of the Dead Lakes State Recreation Area.
Calhoun County
Shortly after the intersections of South Rip Hall Pitts Road and Midway Park Drive, SR 71 crosses the Gulf-Calhoun County Line, where it passes by some random sod farms. In Chipola Park, SR 71 has two major intersections, the first being the southern terminus of State Road 73, and one block later County Road 73A, a suffixed spur of that route. The road then curves to the northeast and crosses the Sweet Water Bridge, then takes an even sharper curve to the northeast. from that point the road is lined with tree farms. After the intersection with CR 392, the road enters Scotts Ferry where it crosses a bridge over the Chipola River, and then turns straight north through Gaskins where it encounters County Road 275, and has a brief concurrency with CR 275 north of C.D. Clark Road. CR 275 later branches off to the northwest, and after this SR 71 turns northeast again. Later the road runs through Sharpstown and curves slightly towards the northwest only to turn back to the same angle it was at before as it crosses a bridge over Coon Creek and enters Flowers Still. Two streets merge with SR 71 on both sides; the eastern terminus of Barfield Road is across the street from the northern terminus of County Road 69 which leads to the Calhoun Correctional Institution, and is a de facto extension of a much more important route. One block later at the intersection of Chipola Road, the route enters the southwest corner of Blountstown, where it takes a sharper curve toward the east while crossing under a power line right-of-way and then over a bridge over Sutton Creek before merging with South Main Street where it turns straight north and south again. The road continues at this trajectory for three more blocks before intersecting the four corners of Blountstown at State Road 20, where South Main Street becomes North Main Street, and West Central Avenue becomes East Central Avenue. Two blocks north of there, North Main Street briefly becomes a divided two-lane highway where it crosses the Blountstown Greenway Bike Path, a rail trail that was once part of the Marianna and Blountstown Railroad. Three to four blocks north of the crossing it encounters the southern terminus of State Road 69, then SR 71 takes a sharp turn to the west. Beginning at Margaret Street, the road curves to the northwest and eventually meets the same rail trail it encountered earlier. From there, the road passes through Durham. A dirt road named John F. Bailey Road ends at Route 71, and then becomes part of this route. After intersecting another dirt road named Buddy Clemons Road and passing under the same power line ROW it crossed in southern Blountstown, the road makes a slight turn to the right where it passes by the Calhoun County Airport then runs through the community of Chipola. After serving as what would seem to be the northern terminus of CR 275, the road curves from northwest to northeast and then straight as it intersects Hanna Tower Road and enters Altha, where it resumes the name "North Main Street" from Blountstown. Further into town, the road has a one block concurrency with County Road 274 between Chipola Street and Main Street. Another segment of CR 275 can be found far east of here along CR 274. Upon leaving Altha, it shifts to the northwest once again. Near Mount Olive Cemetery Road, SR 71 runs through Cox where it later encounters the Farm Air Service Airport
Jackson County
State Road 71 crosses the Calhoun-Jackson County Line, and the first thing it does is curve to the right to avoid a fork in the road with local dirt road before crossing a bridge over May Mill Creek, The first moderate intersection within the county is the south end of the concurrency with County Road 278, as SR 71/CR 278 crosses a bridge over Sink Creek before CR 278 breaks off to the west in Union City onto Peacock Bridge Road. SR 71 continues through Rock Creek, where it intersects the western terminus of County Road 264. North of the bridge over Rooky Creek, the road enters Simsville and passes by Sims Cemetery. The road continues to run to the northwest until it approaches, Oakdale where it turns straight north, and County Road 280 joins SR 71 in a concurrency between Rocky Creek Road to the east and Magnolia Road to the west. After Magnolia Road, the road divides and commercial development designed primarily for travelers begins to surround the road as it approaches the diamond interchange for Interstate 10 at Exit 142. The same commercial development continues further north, but the divided highway continues beyond this area as SR 71 runs along a pair of bridges over Bridge Creek, and after passing by a sand and gravel yard, climbs above another pair of bridges over the CSX P&A Subdivision. The Old Spanish Trail intersects with SR 71 and then turns north in a concurrency with SR 71, and 0.2 miles later both join a concurrency with U.S. Route 90 in Florida where they turn left. US 90/SR 71 runs northwest and intersects three local streets before they dip to cross a bridge over Merrits Mill Pond. Then after passing a riverside RV Park, has several more local intersections before the overlap comes to an end. At the end of this concurrency, US 90 turns west along with the Old Spanish Trail toward Marianna, while SR 71 turns northeast at a wye intersection onto Greenwood Highway. The west leg of the wye does not come without some strings though, specifically the concurrency with CR 164 that runs as far west as the west end of the US 90/SR 73 concurrency. This concurrency is short-lived as it branches to the northeast towards Dellwood, Hornsdale, and Chattahoochee State Park in Alabama, while SR 71 curves north. Here the route enters a more residential area which follows it just before it approaches the northeastern terminus of State Road 166, a short connecting route that leads to Florida Caverns State Park, Chipola College, and then downtown Marianna. Shortly after this the road passes in front of an entrance to the Marianna Municipal Airport, which is also shared by a fire house for Jackson County Fire-Rescue, and the Sunland Training Center. The Greenwood Highway name eventually diminishes and the road adopts the name Bryan Street before entering Greenwood, which contains the northern terminus of State Road 69 which is shared with the eastern terminus of County Road 162, a bi-county road leading west toward Jacob City and Bonifay in Holmes County, Florida. Later the southern terminus of County Road 165, branches off to the northeast and takes motorists to the Town of Bascom. After leaving the Greenwood town limits, the road passes by two local airfields; the Acres of Diamonds Airpark and Chipola Airpark. Further north, it curves to the left and encounters the western terminus of another road to Bascom known as CR 164B, which has no connection to County Road 164. The road then intersects a dirt road named Ford Road where it curves around a swamp named Baxter Bay and then enters the Town of Malone where it adopts the name 10th Street and intersects State Road 2. North of the Malone town limits, State Road 71 curves to the northwest as it passes by the Jackson County Correctional Institution. After the prison grounds it runs mostly through farmland and passes five more rural intersections before encountering another wetland area named Jordan Bay. The last intersection in the state is a private dirt road named Deerwood Drive, and two more parcels of farmland can be found on both side of the street before SR 71 ends at the Florida-Alabama state line, with the road continuing as Alabama State Route 53 just south of Grangeburg, Alabama. On the west side at the border, two private houses exist right next to each other in two different states.
Major intersections
County Road 71A
County Road 71A is the sole suffixed route of SR 71. It is a dead end street known as "Library Road" which runs south from SR 71 across from the intersection with Avenue A east of Port St. Joe between the two railroad crossings. As the name implies, it is the road leading to the Gulf County Public Library in Port Saint Joe.
