Very Confused about Toll Roads in Florida

[luvscruising2007]

I have been researching toll roads in Florida and the more I read the more confused I become.

We will be driving to Miami, Blue Lagoon area, and arriving on a Wednesday in late afternoon. The directions show we will encounter a couple of toll roads. We have EZ pass here in Maryland but I understand that Florida does not honor it. So, if I choose not to buy a Sun pass and drive through the toll areas is it true that I will get a bill in the mail.

We certainly don't mind paying the tolls but just want to be prepared. We are used to the EZpass or cash system.

Thanks

[Flymia]

Correct. If you don't have a sunpass you will be billed by plate. There are some things that require sunpass though, I think the express lanes might be the only thing that do. A sunpass sticker is $4.99 the toll by plate system charges $2.50 fee. Not 100% on how the fee works though. In the end, getting a sunpass is pretty easy, but toll by plate should be fine too.

[fishywood]

Once you get to Florida just stop at a Publix, CVS or Walgreen's and buy a Sunpass. Or if it is more than a couple weeks before you are leaving home order one by mail.

 

You are correct that if you do not have one but pass through a toll gantry you will receive a bill in the mail. A bill with (1) a set-up fee for the first time you use toll-by-plate; (2) a transaction fee; and (3) the toll itself which will be for the "cash" toll rate [even though cash collection has all but been eliminated] rather than the discounted Sunpass rate.

[capriccio]

Once you get to Florida just stop at a Publix, CVS or Walgreen's and buy a Sunpass. Or if it is more than a couple weeks before you are leaving home order one by mail.

 

 

OP - I'm assuming you are entering Florida on I-95. There will be a rest stop right after crossing the state line where you can buy a Sunpass (24 hours a day) in vending machines if you want :

 

Nassau County Welcome Center

Interstate I-95 South

Mile Marker M378

3.5 mi S of FL/GA state line

Yulee, FL 32041

[Capt_BJ]

if the only place you will encounter tolls is the greater Miami area

 

AND you are in your own car (not a rental)

 

toll by plate will send you a bill once a month with a small service charge

[luvscruising2007]

Thanks for all of the info. Knowing I can get the sunpass at the I95 rest area makes it so easy.

 

I have read that there is a sticker for $4.99 and a moveable for about $20. Which would be most advantageous for my situation? Not sure how much I will spend on tolls. It would be just in the Miami area going from 95 to the hotel in Blue Lagoon and back to 95 when we return from the cruise.

[capriccio]

Thanks for all of the info. Knowing I can get the sunpass at the I95 rest area makes it so easy.

 

I have read that there is a sticker for $4.99 and a moveable for about $20. Which would be most advantageous for my situation? Not sure how much I will spend on tolls. It would be just in the Miami area going from 95 to the hotel in Blue Lagoon and back to 95 when we return from the cruise.

 

If you decide to buy a Sunpass, I would go with the sticker since it is much cheaper. We have stickers for both our cars because 2 stickers are half the price of the moveable transponder. I'm also afraid we might not have the transponder in the car when we decide to take the turnpike instead of I-95 due to traffic, accidents, etc.

 

Make sure you study the highway maps of South Florida before you go. You'll find that when you get to Fort Pierce (about 2 hours north of Miami) you can transfer to the turnpike (with tolls) if there are accidents, back-ups, etc. on I-95. The turnpike and I-95 run parallel from there south and all along the way it is fairly easy to move to one or the other if needed.

[luvscruising2007]

Thanks, Capricio! I will make sure to study the map as part of my obsessive planning and research. I have been looking at the maps already and saw that the 2 highways are close. I have a Florida map in the car so I will look to see if it has details of the South Florida area and specifically Miami.

[ChucktownSteve]

Do you know how long it takes to get the bill in the mail if you're out of state and not registered for plate by mail? We embarked Miami in January and encountered the unexpected tolls on short stretches of highway heading from our hotel to downtown. So far we have heard nothing.

[Capt_BJ]

an alternate to SUNPASS

 

http://www.paytollo.com/pt_home

 

if you search paytollo here you'll find a couple of folks who say it works .... it is new and I don't believe works out of FL yet ... note there is a fee associated with this system while Sunpass actually charges you a discounted toll rate .....

 

note that the full compatibility of the many e-toll systems in the US is a work in progress. while it is true that Sunpass does not recognize E-Pass, it is equally true that E-Pass does not recognize Sunpass or any of the other systems in place like those on the west coast so the wind blows both directions. One article I've read says the technical issues of transponders being read has been resolved for some time. The lingering issue is the total incompatibility of various State accounting systems and they must talk to each other to pass the $ around ....

 

If you invest in a SUNPASS I recommend springing for the $20 version. The $5 version sticks to the glass and if removed is trashed and the account must be closed. The $20 version is easy to move from car to car and may be 'registered' to several vehicles at one time. It is also easy (via an app) to add a rental car ... and delete the rental when it is returned. I've had a Sunpass for nearly 20 years, and it moves from car to car as I buy new ... is loaned to visitors from out of state and used in rental cars when needed. Trivia they don't tell you .... so long as your tag is registered 'in the system' you don't even need the transponder in the car. This is just a by-product of how the system works but on several occasions I've forgotten the transponder and the tolls still get posted to my account with no fines ....

 

https://www.sunpass.com/pdf/MiniWebPDF_E-10-2014.pdf

[luvscruising2007]

Interesting, Capt B J. I am not too tech savvy and don't do apps on my phone. But it sounds like it works much like EZ pass. Thanks for the info.