Electronic Tolls?

[vladimir]

.....

 

[Magnolia3]

Your statement on assigment of cost might make sense if the Florida gasoline tax wasn't 7th highest in the nation in addition to the tolls.

GasBuddy.com - Find Low Gas Prices in the USA and Canada

your point...

 

[theduckguru]

Point - Florida collects a very high rate of fees by way of their fuel tax to also have so many toll roads. If you guys love em, thats ok. Its great to sell bonds and build them, But the buracracy in running them makes them inefficient

 

[deepstops]

Point - Florida collects a very high rate of fees by way of their fuel tax to also have so many toll roads. If you guys love em, thats ok. Its great to sell bonds and build them, But the buracracy in running them makes them inefficient

Never mind the fact Florida doesn't have a state income tax. Those roads don't build themselves you know....

 

[Magnolia3]

In response to a post that has now been withdrawn, I think, by The duck guru..... I just got off the phone with sunpass itself.. and was told that IF you purchase a portable sunpass and you call them to activate it you can bypass registering it to a vehicle... just that IF the pass does not work you get the fine etc... do NOT activate via the internet.. www.sunpass.com.
you can also call sunpass and register any rental vehicle you are in temporarily...

 

[Magnolia3]

Point - Florida collects a very high rate of fees by way of their fuel tax to also have so many toll roads. If you guys love em, thats ok. Its great to sell bonds and build them, But the buracracy in running them makes them inefficient

point is that we do NOT have a state income tax unlike so many states.. IF you don't use it don't pay it kinda system. It works real well for us.


There are plenty of non toll roads to get to get all over the state and our roads generally are always in good repair.
I go back and forth from south st pete to spring hill and crystal river numerous times a month. I use the toll road... having driven both I75 to many yrs to get to CRiver and US 19 in stop n go traffic to get to Spring Hill I am ecstatic. The tolls of about $10 round trip are well worth the convenience and less traffic for me and many others.

I go to and from the Keys down I75 and then US 41 thru the glades.. nice drive, sure its two lane but in spring the orchids make it worth the slower pace.

When I lived in Gainesville It was I75 and then US 27 down the southside of the Lake to homestead where my inlaws lived.. view is beautiful from fisheating creek to moore haven.

I do not drive the Turnpike to miami.. it is too full of crazy tourists driving 80mph...

As far as gas prices go, it is what it is... if you don't like it, you don't have to come or stay. It is pretty simple. You could be in Belize paying $6/gallon or California where its right at the $5/gallon mark. My friend living in Switzerland pays $6/liter that works out to around $24/gallon or so... I try real hard to keep it all in perspective.

So from your profile I am going to deduce you live in NY... gas there according to gas buddy is running $3.90 and up... I live in St pete... I just paid $3.67/gallon at the racetrac just north of me..

 

[scallop]

I went to the Keys the week of Christmas, flew into FLL and drove to Key Largo then back to FLL for a two days. Rented a car from one of the smaller rental companies, (Ace I believe it was, kind of a raggedy ran operation but was half the price of Enterprise, but I digress). They sent me a bill about a month later, had to agree to it, they offered a couple other options but I don't remember all the details. Bill ended up being $26 and some change. We were on and off the toll road several times and I don't really concider it that much of a hardship, price seemed fair and it beat the heck out of the major traffic on the non toll roads. The $$ to maintain the road system has to come from somewhere. The next time we go down will do the same. Speaking as a vacationer if $30 is going to break you then you probably should not be on vacation. I would happily buy a pass if we had toll roads here in central Ohio as the road conditions and traffic were much better than the alternative.

 

[drinksfromtap]

It really depends which way you're going. If you're going North to Palm Beach/Martin/St. Lucie Counties, as far as I know the portion of the turnpike still accepts cash. If you're going South toward the keys (which it sounds like you are) the other posters are correct in that they automatically toll by plate in Miami-Dade if you don't have a SunPass. You might want to consider taking I-95 if you can time your trip so that you're through most of Miami-Dade by midday (i.e. between, say, 10 AM and 3 PM), and you don't mind spending an extra half hour or so on US-1 where 95 ends. As the other posters recommended, if you come down a lot it would probably be a good investment to by a sunpass vs. paying rental company charges. You can buy it ahead of time and register your Kansas plate (if registration is required), and just add on the rental plate when you get your rental car through the website. Adding the rental car plate isn't that big a deal -- I've swapped the suction cup one between cars for work without registering the "temporary" plates and I've never had a problem in the five years I've been down here.