Tolls from Jacksonville to Miami – Cash? Coin?

Hi Everyone,

I’m taking a last minute cruise and driving from Jacksonville to Miami. If I don’t get a Sunpass – can I use dollar bills or do I need coins? About how much will the tolls cost round trip?

Thank you in advance!

Just take I-95 South. No tolls. Until you hit FLL traffic is reasonable. Lots of exits for gas and food.

Mapquest is showing that I should take 91 on the way home.....so just in case I do that, I'd like to know about the tolls. Thank you!

Mapquest is showing that I should take 91 on the way home.....so just in case I do that, I'd like to know about the tolls. Thank you!

Ignore mapquest.

There is no reason you should be on any other road than I-95. Taking the turnpike is a waste of money and time and you cannot get on it until you are past Port St. Lucie. It doesn't even start until south of Orlando.

Taking the turnpike will take you a hundred miles out of your way.

Look at a map.

Strange. From Miami to Jax, Mapquest is having me take 95 to exit 1B, then FL-826W. Go 108 miles on FL-91 and then get back on 95.

On the map it does look like that saves me a little travel time from Palm City to Fort Pierce.

As the previous poster says, take I-95 straight into Miami. The port is 10 minutes off of I-95. If you want to use the turnpike you can switch over to it at Ft.Pierce.

Guys, my question is: if I use the turnpike between Fort Pierce and Palm City…..can I use dollar bills or do I need coins? About how much will the tolls cost?

Thanks!

If you use the Tpke there are change booths at each toll plaza.

Toll plazas along the Mainline feature at least one lane staffed by an attendant 24 hours per day. If you require change, receipts or even directions, look for an overhead green sign. If you have exact change, proceed toward the lanes featuring overhead blue signs.

If you think you are going to be on the Tpke more than just a single trip, then stop att he first service plaza you come to and buy a card/sticker to put on your windshield.

For the tolls you might pay see toll calculator:http://www.floridasturnpike.com/

Thank you very much Crewsweeper!

I would love to hear about the travel from JAX to Miami. We too are booked on a cruise in March but could not get any SW "Wanna Get Away" fares for our dates (we have SW Points to use). So, ended up flying into JAX and going to get a car on the way down and way back. Heard it was about a 5 hour drive.

I know MapQuest can really be awful sometimes. Years ago we went from Ft Myers to Orlando (before GPS) and it took us through every scary small town in the middle of no where. It was very scary.

Glad to know to just take I95 the entire way down.

Just to be a little more clear (I hope ;)):

If when headed south you switch to the Turnpike from Fort Pierce to Palm City--which definitely will save some time--the tollbooths are manned and will make change. The move from Turnpike exit 116 (which is actually Jupiter, not Palm City) back to I-95 is clearly signed, don't worry that you briefly are on the city streets.

BUT when headed back home if you choose to follow the preposterous mapquest directions you mentioned in post #5 (taking 836 to the Turnpike :confused:) you will be on Miami-Dade toll roads that are entirely cashless, so you must have a Sunpass. Better to take the other advice to just get straight on I-95; you can decide whether to shift to the Turnpike between Jupiter and Fort Pierce when you get that far.

Hi Lynn,

On the way down I'll be staying overnight in Fort Pierce. I prefer not to drive 5 hours on the day of the cruise.....but I will be driving 5 hours after the cruise.

Fishywood,

Yes that’s part of my question…..is any part a cashless toll road? On my way back from Tampa one year we got slightly lost and had to run a cashless toll booth. I never did receive a ticket in the mail, so that’s the up side!

Hi Lynn,

 

On the way down I'll be staying overnight in Fort Pierce. I prefer not to drive 5 hours on the day of the cruise.....but I will be driving 5 hours after the cruise.

We are driving straight through. Will be a long day. Plane leaves at like 6 in the morning. Have 1 stop and change of planes and arrive JAX around 11:30 in the AM.. Will drive to Miami. Just booked hotel at Holiday Inn POM for the one night. Then will return car in the morning and take shuttle to the port.

On the way home we couldn't get a late enough flight time (which wasn't really expensive) so we fly home the day after. Will keep checking though just in case we can get a return flight from a different location that might be a bit closer. But at least we have free airfare.

Lynn,

Ok, as long as you aren't driving Jax to Miami the day of the cruise, because we both know thats not a good idea :)

If you go straight from the port to I-95 north there will be no tolls.

Assuming you parked at the port: take the port tunnel exit (SR 887). You will then be on I-395 westbound. Exit 1B will then take you to I-95 northbound. And you're off towards Jacksonville. What seems to be the confusion from mapquest is that I-395 turns into SR 836 if you don't exit to I-95--and 836 is a cashless toll road. But you're good to go the way you plan.

Fishywood, yes or no: Do I do this or not? :):)

4. Merge onto I-95 N via EXIT 1B toward Ft Lauderdale.Map

9.2 mi

5. Take the FL-826 W exit, EXIT 12A, on the left.Map

0.7 mi

6. Merge onto FL-91 N / Florida's Tpke N via the ramp on the left (Portions toll).Map

20.2 mi

7. Take Florida's Tpke N (Portions toll).Map

88.4 mi

8. Merge onto FL-70 E / Okeechobee Rd via EXIT 152 toward Ft Pierce / Indian River College / I-95 / US-1.Map

0.9 mi

9. Merge onto I-95 N toward Daytona Beach.Map

206.7 mi

No. Following steps 5 and 6 will take you through a cashless toll to enter the Turnpike.

Once you accomplish step 4 you can remain on I-95 northbound all the way to Jacksonville.

Ok, thank you! I hit the road this morning. :)

Ok, thank you! I hit the road this morning. :)

Drive safe and have a good cruise.:)

Thanks :)

Don't take the turnpike.

The reason, switching at Fort Pierce is not a simple thing.

The traffic signals on Okeechobee Rd. SR 70(Fort Pierce) are not timed

well, in order to keep drivers in that small area longer to pay for overpriced products the stores and restaurants sell.

It will take 5 -10 minutes to go the one mile on this road.

How do I know, I tried it once thinking I would save time after a long ride from Maryland.

guess I'm glad I read this. We too are driving down. When I mapquest it the directions say:

Keep left to take FL-91S/florida tpke S via exit 328 toward Orlando (218 miles)

take Florida's tpke S (45.6 miles)

take the fl-826W exit toward I-95/us 441

merge onto I-95 S

It sounds like I shouldn't do this, but trying to understand what I should do. Will I see signs for I-95?

Any input is appreciated.

I don't understand why mapquest is telling people to take the turnpike from Jacksonville to Miami.

This makes absolutely no sense to me. It is at least 100 miles out of the way and even if you are hitting WPB through Miami during rush hour, it doesn't save you any time.

guess I'm glad I read this. We too are driving down. When I mapquest it the directions say:

 

Keep left to take FL-91S/florida tpke S via exit 328 toward Orlando (218 miles)

 

take Florida's tpke S (45.6 miles)

 

take the fl-826W exit toward I-95/us 441

merge onto I-95 S

 

It sounds like I shouldn't do this, but trying to understand what I should do. Will I see signs for I-95?

 

Any input is appreciated.

The OP of this thread is driving from north Florida to Miami on I-95. But as you are driving down from Wisconsin you will enter Florida on I-75. Only way to get to Miami that way is to enter the Turnpike at Wildwood. There will be tolls but the most of the tollbooths you encounter are manned. You can move over from the Turnpike to I-95 at Jupiter (Exit 116) to avoid the cashless tolls at you get further south. (Or you can pre-order a Sunpass sticker to be mailed to you; you will save more than the $5 purchase price over the cash rate at the tollbooths).