Florida Toll Roads

[OhBlackWater]

So last year I went to Florida and towed my travel trailer behind me. I went through many toll booths that said toll by mail or something like that. I have never gotten a bill and the FL website site says you will get a bill in the mail. I don't mind paying what I owe, but I am sure not going to pay a years worth of overinflated admin fees and other nonsense fees. Do I keep waiting for a bill like the website says?

[holstein13]

Here are the possible actions and outcomes:

1) Don't call - no violations. Result, nothing bad happens
2) Don't call - yes violations. Result, fines multiply and could lead to very bad things.
3) Call - no violations. Result, nothing bad happens.
4) Call - yes violations. Result, tolls are paid. End of bad things.

There you go. This is decision making 101. Choose wisely and go with the best risk reward scenario. To be clear, #1 and #3 cancel each other out and are harmless. Now you only need to focus on #2 and #4. Seeing as #4 yields the best outcome between those, your decision is super easy.

And to add to what someone wrote above. If you buy a $10.00 RFID Sunpass at the convenience store on the way in, they'll apply a $10.00 credit to your account so the tag ends up being free.

[et2]

majorgator wrote:

et2 wrote:
Well we had it happen to us a year ago too. It took what money we had but still took our picture. Never got a bill or ticket. Had a rental car. Florida tool booths in Kissimee are crazy.

It takes your picture every time you pass through, whether you pay or not. And many rental cars have a transponder built in and the charges are included or added on the final bill.

monkey44 wrote:

Far as I'm concerned, it that state sends me a bill, I'll pay it. But, I'm not going out of my way to ask for it. That's not my job, it's their system, not mine. I'd certainly not keep track of "times under the camera" and send a list.

I always pay my bills - but I gotta get a bill first.

That attitude works on your power bill or phone bill, but not on something that could have legal implications. These aren't bills...its just like you got a speeding ticket. If you suspect you might have skipped a toll, its your responsibility to verify. Its not worth taking a chance.

There were no add on to my bill at the end as we declined the transponder ( obvious mistake) But the buzzer when I went through was embarrassing. I put in .98 cents of the $1.00 fee. Those toll booths in the Kissimee area are a pain in the @ss. Of our whole trip we enjoyed it, except those toll booths.

[hanzfranz60]

Best to go to tollbyplate.com and do a little research. Tolls do not go away and additional charges will accrue. Florida is my domicile state and I have had personal experience on this subject!

[monkey44]

Quote Monkey44
Far as I'm concerned, it that state sends me a bill, I'll pay it. But, I'm not going out of my way to ask for it. That's not my job, it's their system, not mine. I'd certainly not keep track of "times under the camera" and send a list.

I always pay my bills - but I gotta get a bill first. END QUOTE

That attitude works on your power bill or phone bill, but not on something that could have legal implications. These aren't bills...its just like you got a speeding ticket. If you suspect you might have skipped a toll, its your responsibility to verify. Its not worth taking a chance.
_____________________________________
Right: It's not my responsibility to KNOW if they take my plate (I must assume it works, rather than assume it doesn't work) and send me a bill. What do I do, keep a record of every toll booth passing so I can verify whether I get a bill - Fat Chance - got better things to do, like keep my eyes on the road.

Course, I can always drive down the road past the tool booths and text myself each time, so I don't miss one that misses me. OH, right, texting - can't do that driving!

You gotta be kidding. If it sends me a bill (which is ITS responsibility, not mine) then I pay it - otherwise, my advice is get a system that works - it certainly has a budget and is wasting that budget if the system don't work properly.

[OhBlackWater]

I will give them a call... They have sun pass, ex pass and fl turnpike. I probably owe them all money. On the toll by plate site I see they close at 7, so it will have to wait till tomorrow and more late fees added on.

[majorgator]

2oldman wrote:

monkey44 wrote:
Far as I'm concerned, it that state sends me a bill, I'll pay it. But, I'm not going out of my way to ask for it. That's not my job, it's their system, not mine. I always pay my bills - but I gotta get a bill first.

Hard not to agree with this. When you get a traffic ticket it's handed to you, but this different.

Sounds like a pretty messed up system to me. They need to get with the times and text/email you this stuff, not just rely on the relic postal system and then be able to fine/jail (yah right) you for something you didn't get. But, I suppose this is another one of those 'privacy' issues that only recognize paper mail as secure.

A simple phone call to delinquent accounts would also be better than all this suspension/jail nonsense.

You don't go to jail for not paying your tolls. You go to jail for driving with a suspended or revoked license, which you can get for not paying your traffic citation...a citation you can get for not paying tolls. You don't skip a toll and go straight to jail. These things take a while to catch up to you, which actually makes the problem worse.

Oddly enough, you don't go to jail for simply not having a license...only when its been suspended or revoked. Apparently, you may only get a ticket if you're driving but have never had a license.

[majorgator]

RRinNFla wrote:
You need to understand that Florida toll roads are not a unified system. Toll roads are administered by each county. Your Sunpass that works in the Orlando area, may not work in South Florida.

While I can't dispute your claim entirely, I'll say this: I've driven the entire length of the turnpike and all the toll roads on the west coast. One SunPass for all of them and never any continuity issues.

[2oldman]

monkey44 wrote:
Far as I'm concerned, it that state sends me a bill, I'll pay it. But, I'm not going out of my way to ask for it. That's not my job, it's their system, not mine. I always pay my bills - but I gotta get a bill first.

Hard not to agree with this. When you get a traffic ticket it's handed to you, but this different.

Sounds like a pretty messed up system to me. They need to get with the times and text/email you this stuff, not just rely on the relic postal system and then be able to fine/jail (yah right) you for something you didn't get. But, I suppose this is another one of those 'privacy' issues that only recognize paper mail as secure.

A simple phone call to delinquent accounts would also be better than all this suspension/jail nonsense.

[RRinNFla]

You need to understand that Florida toll roads are not a unified system. Toll roads are administered by each county. Your Sunpass that works in the Orlando area, may not work in South Florida.

18 months ago I was on the Florida turnpike through Miami and Ft Lauderdale. The bill from Broward county came right away, the one from Miami-Dade did not arrive for a year.

[majorgator]

et2 wrote:
Well we had it happen to us a year ago too. It took what money we had but still took our picture. Never got a bill or ticket. Had a rental car. Florida tool booths in Kissimee are crazy.

It takes your picture every time you pass through, whether you pay or not. And many rental cars have a transponder built in and the charges are included or added on the final bill.

monkey44 wrote:

Far as I'm concerned, it that state sends me a bill, I'll pay it. But, I'm not going out of my way to ask for it. That's not my job, it's their system, not mine. I'd certainly not keep track of "times under the camera" and send a list.

I always pay my bills - but I gotta get a bill first.

That attitude works on your power bill or phone bill, but not on something that could have legal implications. These aren't bills...its just like you got a speeding ticket. If you suspect you might have skipped a toll, its your responsibility to verify. Its not worth taking a chance.

[rhagfo]

Florida is pretty good about getting bill out within about 60 days. That said Did do a plate pass in Puerto Rico, bill hit my CC six months later!!!

[majorgator]

The Texan wrote:
Listen to majorgator, if you don't want to end up spending a day in jail. Florida WILL suspend your right to operate in the state for many reason and this is one of them, along with failure to pay a parking ticket, regardless of where your from. DWLSR is NOT a citable offense, it is a trip to the booking room at the county jail.

We had a saying about tourist and their I'm immune form Florida laws attitude, when I was a LEO in the state ...... Come to Florida on vacation, leave on probation and return on violation.....

I missed this post...FUNNY!
Many years ago, when I was still young and dumb, I spent an unfortunate night in the county jail. I was shocked to learn how many people were there because of a suspended license. One guy got stuck for DUI because he had a taillight out (and because he was drinking too, I guess), and he told the cop he rides "in his car" not behind it, so how was he supposed to know. I didn't feel bad for the guy.

[et2]

Well we had it happen to us a year ago too. It took what money we had but still took our picture. Never got a bill or ticket. Had a rental car. Florida tool booths in Kissimee are crazy.

[monkey44]

Can tell you one thing - not Florida but Colorado - they have cameras too, up on the toll roads. Take a photo, mail you the bill.

We went out to the airport numerous times - passed the cameras, and figured we'd get a mail-bill. Never got one - went back several times over several years. Never got a toll-bill. Never got arrested for it either.

Far as I'm concerned, it that state sends me a bill, I'll pay it. But, I'm not going out of my way to ask for it. That's not my job, it's their system, not mine. I'd certainly not keep track of "times under the camera" and send a list.

I always pay my bills - but I gotta get a bill first.

[majorgator]

valhalla360 wrote:


While it probably wouldn't hurt to call, I doubt FLORIDA will suspend his NORTH CAROLINA license. Maybe they will but not sure what that means.

I couldn't say for sure that the state of FL can directly suspend an out of state license. In fact, its entirely possible that they don't actually suspend your in-state license directly either just because you skipped a toll. Probably no one on this forum knows enough about such a matter to say definitively. Not paying the tolls can lead to a suspended DL, and its happened to people I know. But moreover, the real reason may be quite different. Failure to pay tolls on FL roads can lead to a traffic citation (which CAN eventually cross state lines in terms of legality). And we all know what happens when you ignore traffic citations.

Me personally, I wouldn't leave it up to the State of FL to notify me of toll violations and potential traffic citations if I knew for a fact that I drove through without ever being charged. I think the signs say toll violations are like $100 or $150...?? I'd get on the phone and make sure of it. Having a suspended license or unpaid tickets is not something you want a surprise a few years down the road. Phone calls are free!