Commuters who rely on Florida’s plethora of toll roads are about to save some money.
The state is renewing a discount program that was in place last year, and expired at the beginning of 2024. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday it’s being renewed for another year, effective immediately.
The program applies across the state, the governor said at a news conference in Miami, but “South Florida and Central Florida have the most, of course, and I think more people will save in those two regions than others.”
Frequent commuters on Florida’s Turnpike, the Sawgrass Expressway, and the Interstate 95 and Interstate 595 express lanes would benefit.
Anyone who has 35 toll transactions a month automatically gets a credit on their monthly toll statements. That threshold makes the program apply to people who commute to work almost every day, not those who regularly split their time between working from home and traveling to work.
“You don’t have to do anything. And you’ll see it on your May bill to show up if you reach that threshold where you, we know you’re commuting, you’re gonna get a 50% reduction,” DeSantis said.
Mariana “Marili” Cancio, chair of the Greater Miami Expressway Agency, said there is another requirement for eligibility: Motorists must be users of SunPass or another transponder system.
The program won’t work for people who use the toll-by-plate system for people who don’t have SunPass or another transponder when passing by an electronic toll collection, Cancio said. With toll-by-plate, a picture is taken of a license plate and that’s used to bill the driver.
“Go and buy one of those SunPasses. That’s very important,” she said.
Florida’s state coffers are overflowing with cash from taxpayers in the state and across the nation. As a result, the state can afford to increase spending and provide money for things like the toll reduction program. The latest version lasts one year; renewal is contingent on action from the Legislature.
The state budget passed last month appropriates $450 million to pay for the toll benefits for frequent users. DeSantis hasn’t signed the budget into law, but he said the program was going into effect Monday. It goes through March 2025.
The 2023 version cost $500 million with more than 1.2 million commuters receiving some benefit, the governor’s office said.
Golden Glades
Also at the news conference Monday, DeSantis said a major reconstruction of the infamous Golden Glades interchange in northern Miami-Dade County would begin right away, faster than originally anticipated.
The Golden Glades — the bane of drivers in northeastern Miami-Dade County — is the confluence of I-95, the Palmetto Expressway, Florida’s Turnpike, State Road 9, and NW Seventh Avenue.
Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said the project involves 32 new bridges and direct connection between the Palmetto Expressway and Interstate 95. It will take about seven years, he estimated.
“To be able to get this traffic flowing better is going to be able to make a big difference,” DeSantis said. “You want to be home. You don’t want to be sitting in traffic.”
