# Help with Florida tolls



## Iggyearl (Jan 24, 2016)

We are renting a timeshare in Fort Lauderdale in February (thanks to TUG).  I booked a rental thru Hertz, only to find out that they use "PlatePass" for their toll processing.  The charge is $4.95/day, for every day, up to $24.75 for the week. Plus the actual tolls.  It wasn't that way last year when we went to Miami.  We just did the plate scan, and we paid the resulting toll.  Not all rental companies use "PlatePass" but I wonder who does not.  Can anyone recommend a company that doesn't gouge for toll processing?  We don't go to Florida but once a year, so Sunpass doesn't look viable.  Thank you.


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## dioxide45 (Jan 24, 2016)

I think all of the rental companies have some form of PlatePass processing. Their fees may vary. Best to check out each of their websites to see how they handle tolls in Florida. Even if you go to Florida once a year, it can be worth it to get a SunPass portable. Sure it will cost about $25 up front then tolls, but it will be pay for itself after a few years, or perhaps even after one rental with Hertz.


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## NKN (Jan 24, 2016)

Do what we did.  Join SunPass, similar to EZPass.   Get transponder in mail.  Take to FL and call SunPass when you have your rental.  Once they have the license number in their system, the SP system overrides the plate pass system.  

We prob got our transponder in less than 10 days, after ordering.

Nkn


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## blakebr (Jan 24, 2016)

We went to Daytona in December but flew in to Orlando.  We paid cash at each toll booth.  The rightmost booth in all cases.  We didn't want any late costs being put on our credit card months down the road. Punny isn't it.


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## dioxide45 (Jan 24, 2016)

blakebr said:


> We went to Daytona in December but flew in to Orlando.  We paid cash at each toll booth.  The rightmost booth in all cases.  We didn't want any late costs being put on our credit card months down the road. Punny isn't it.



I think the OP will be in the Ft Lauderdale/Miami area. There are a lot of cashless toll roads in South Florida. So there may not always be a toll booth for the OP to pay at. In and around Orlando and points north, you can usually get away with paying cash.


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## n777lt (Jan 25, 2016)

If you don't want to pay the car rental add-on fees, then you can also use a GPS and set it to "avoid tolls" - how you do that depends on what device and/or application you are using.  In fact, there's a great back way to the airport in Orlando, often faster than the toll roads...but I don't remember it, I just follow the GPS.


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## RFW (Jan 25, 2016)

n777lt said:


> If you don't want to pay the car rental add-on fees, then you can also use a GPS and set it to "avoid tolls"



I guess there may be some places where you must pay a toll, but we have easily managed to avoid the tolls over the course of 3 snowbird winters in Southeast Florida. 

Since we have had no problem just taking alternate routes, I am resisting spending $25 to buy a Sun Pass. I am content to wait for the various electronic toll collection systems to "talk" to each other. So, at some point, my E-Z Pass (that is provided without a $25 non refundable purchase) will work in FL, in case I need a toll road.


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## topmom101 (Jan 25, 2016)

I might be wrong, but I recall reading somewhere that E-Z pass would soon be able to be used in Florida.


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## pedro47 (Jan 25, 2016)

topmom101 said:


> I might be wrong, but I recall reading somewhere that E-Z pass would soon be able to be used in Florida.



I also recall reading something about this.


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## RFW (Jan 25, 2016)

pedro47 said:


> I also recall reading something about this.



My understanding is that there is a mandate from the Feds, DOT, attached to highway funds that all systems will need to  "talk" to each other. I don't remember when the supposed deadline is. I think this year.  I asked E-Z Pass NY about it about 6 months ago. Was told it was "being worked on". 

Which is, of course, not helpful to someone traveling next month...


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## Iggyearl (Jan 25, 2016)

*Made up my mind.....*

Yes, there has been discussion about making Sunpass and EZ-Pass interchangeable.  That discussion started around 2011, and is continuing today.  Biggest problems are different technologies, billing issues, reimbursement to states, and cheaters.  Congress has a stipulation that these issues be resolved by 10/16.  I'm not going to bet on it.

This morning I called Sunpass and asked how long it takes to receive a transponder in NYS, and the girl said it would be 3-5 days.  I ordered one on the internet, with the 19.99 fee and a deposit for tolls.  I can change the car info when I pick up the rental.  The rates that Hertz charges are the highest rates that can be charged  - in addition to the $4.95/day service fee. (Maxing out at $24.75 for the rental). 

So, I am paying less for the Sunpass - forever - than Hertz gets for one rental.  And I am paying less for tolls than Hertz would charge me.  Regardless of  what the other rental agencies charge, I can rent without worrying about the effect of tolls.  And for those who didn't know, not all toll booths in Florida have cash toll booths.  Strange, but true.  We are becoming a cash-less society - whether we want to or not.


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## hjtug (Jan 25, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> I think the OP will be in the Ft Lauderdale/Miami area. There are a lot of cashless toll roads in South Florida. So there may not always be a toll booth for the OP to pay at. In and around Orlando and points north, you can usually get away with paying cash.



We have run into cashless toll booths on exits in the Orlando area.


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## dwojo (Jan 25, 2016)

Sunpass is your best option. It is not very expensive and easy to add a rental vehicle.


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## dioxide45 (Jan 25, 2016)

hjtug said:


> We have run into cashless toll booths on exits in the Orlando area.



Were they cashless or just unattended. I have run in to many unattended tolls at Orlando exits, but they usually had a SunPass/EPass lane and then a cash lane with a coin hopper. Of course, this was many years ago and I know they are converting some to cashless.


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## weems637 (Jan 25, 2016)

We love our sunpass for our annual trips to Destin and Orlando. The portable transponder is worth the money, since you can add several cars, including rentals, to the account.  Sunpass automatically charges your CC when funds get low.


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## JPD (Jan 26, 2016)

I have always paid the tolls in cash or I received a bill in the mail for the cashless tolls when we travel throughout Florida. My questions is, can Sunpass be used throughout the Florida toll system or is their different systems.


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## hjtug (Jan 26, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> Were they cashless or just unattended. I have run in to many unattended tolls at Orlando exits, but they usually had a SunPass/EPass lane and then a cash lane with a coin hopper. Of course, this was many years ago and I know they are converting some to cashless.



Sorry my memory is fuzzy.  We ran into a problem at an unattended, exact change toll booth.


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## raygo123 (Jan 26, 2016)

Iggyearl said:


> We are renting a timeshare in Fort Lauderdale in February (thanks to TUG).  I booked a rental thru Hertz, only to find out that they use "PlatePass" for their toll processing.  The charge is $4.95/day, for every day, up to $24.75 for the week. Plus the actual tolls.  It wasn't that way last year when we went to Miami.  We just did the plate scan, and we paid the resulting toll.  Not all rental companies use "PlatePass" but I wonder who does not.  Can anyone recommend a company that doesn't gouge for toll processing?  We don't go to Florida but once a year, so Sunpass doesn't look viable.  Thank you.


I can't remember the company name, it was budget I believe.  The toll fee as an add on which we declined, and I set the garman to "avoid tolls" and it worked quite well.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## TheTimeTraveler (Jan 26, 2016)

raygo123 said:


> I can't remember the company name, it was budget I believe.  The toll fee as an add on which we declined, and I set the garman to "avoid tolls" and it worked quite well.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk





Avoiding tolls is nice "if" you have plenty of time to get somewhere.  Sometimes it is much better to take the toll roads if you are in a hurry and don't have a faster alternate route.

Also, it's nice to take the toll roads to avoid traffic lights and shoppers.




.


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## raygo123 (Jan 26, 2016)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> Avoiding tolls is nice "if" you have plenty of time to get somewhere.  Sometimes it is much better to take the toll roads if you are in a hurry and don't have a faster alternate route.
> 
> Also, it's nice to take the toll roads to avoid traffic lights and shoppers.
> 
> ...


I totally agree.  Our travel was all local, and the freeway and the toll road run parallel north to south. So for us, no problem.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## silentg (Jan 26, 2016)

raygo123 said:


> I totally agree.  Our travel was all local, and the freeway and the toll road run parallel north to south. So for us, no problem.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


Last night my husband was going to wait for me in the cell lot of MCO. He said they have installed a toll in there! This cell lot was supposed to elevate driving around to pick someone up, no they are charging for it! He parked on the street like many others who were disturbed by this!


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## dioxide45 (Jan 26, 2016)

JPD said:


> I have always paid the tolls in cash or I received a bill in the mail for the cashless tolls when we travel throughout Florida. My questions is, can Sunpass be used throughout the Florida toll system or is their different systems.



You are likely driving your own car? Thus they know who to send the bill to? Florida does have at least two system; Sunpass and EPass. Though they are interchangeable. EPass is really only in Orange County (Orlando) and SunPass covers the reset of the state. Though there are also SunPass tolls in Orange County. You can use either companies transponder at any of the tolls in Florida.


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## Talent312 (Jan 26, 2016)

Visit:  *https://www.sunpass.com/index*

SunPass Customers:
SunPass customers using a rental vehicle may have their tolls applied to their SunPass account. Customers with SunPass Portable transponders may use their transponders in their rental vehicles. *It is strongly recommended that SunPass customers access their online SunPass accounts or contact the SunPass Customer Service Center to add the rental vehicle to their account for the rental period.* If the transponder is not in your vehicle or functioning properly, tolls from other agencies will not be posted to your SunPass account, and may be charged to you by the rental Service Provider. Please remember to remove your transponder upon return of the vehicle.
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## suenmike32 (Jan 27, 2016)

There is one other minor detail with purchasing Sunpass (which we recently did). 
That being, that although the initial charge is $19.99,... if you wish to be billed automatically you must put a minimum of $10.00 into your Sunpass account. 

The moment your balance falls below $10.00....(your first toll), there is an automatic replenishment of $25.00. (I believe that that is the minimum they will accept). So, in reality, your initial Sunpass investment is close to $55.00.

I got stung by Hertz in November driving to KeyWest with the $4.95 per day Plate scan charge. (I didn't have my Sunpass Yet) 
My toll to drive the FT to get to the Overseas Highway was about $3.75 one way. Consequently it cost me close to $30.00 for that initial toll.
I followed a "toll-less" road back to Lauderdale (just for the principal of it).
Mike


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## boris-bear (Jan 27, 2016)

*One way to make EZpass work in FL*

There is another solution, which is little-known, but works to unite EZPass and SunPass...

I needed a new EZpass transponder 2 years ago (I live in VA, an EZPass state) anyway and had a trip to FL planned so I looked into the options and discovered this solution while being tired of waiting for the full inter-operability.

North Carolina's entry into the toll tag game, "QuickPass" works on both the EZPass network AND Florida's SunPass network (as well as Georgia's "PeachPass" system, although I've not tried that). Thus, virtually any toll system from Maine to Illinois to Florida (even NH now which was one of the last EZPass holdouts...) can be paid. NC doesn't have many toll roads (only one can I think of), so perhaps they have been more aggressive in negotiating agreements with other states.

At the time, it was the only pass offering that did this. To my knowledge, that's still the case.

I can verify it works in the EZPass system (I've used it in VA and all the way up 95 to NY) and in FL (used it in Tampa, Polk County, and Orlando without issue)

I think it's $20 one time for the transponder but no monthly fees. Make sure if you need EZPass you get the regular transponder and not the "sticker".

I am not sure it would be worth getting for someone just to use in FL, but if you live in an EZPass state or travel in EZPass areas it would be a good, flexible option.

Note that it would work in any EZPass toll, it would not allow access to any  special local deals (some areas have extra discount plans for certain commute plans and such). For example, it does not take the place of the "switchable" HOV/Toll pass used here in Northern Virginia (you can use the HOV/Toll lane and the toll tag will work, but you cannot "switch it" to ride for free as a legitimate HOV user).


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## Iggyearl (Jan 27, 2016)

*Wish I had seen Boris' post*

In my search, I did not come across any recommendation about buying the Quickpass transponder.  It looks like it would be a good alternative to having both EZ Pass and Sunpass.  Only drawback I could see would be if their is a dispute regarding billing and a "missed read" - which I have had in the past.  (I once got billed for tolls from Buffalo to Albany because the toll reader in Schenectady did not work)

For "Sueandmike,"  I put in an initial deposit of $20.00 with a replenish amount of $10.00, when the account gets below $10.00.  Initial charge after tax was $41.19.  Minimum replenish amount possible is $10.00.  

At least I won't be driving around feeling that Hertz screwed me.


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## dioxide45 (Jan 27, 2016)

suenmike32 said:


> There is one other minor detail with purchasing Sunpass (which we recently did).
> That being, that although the initial charge is $19.99,... if you wish to be billed automatically you must put a minimum of $10.00 into your Sunpass account.
> 
> The moment your balance falls below $10.00....(your first toll), there is an automatic replenishment of $25.00. (I believe that that is the minimum they will accept). So, in reality, your initial Sunpass investment is close to $55.00.
> ...





Iggyearl said:


> In my search, I did not come across any recommendation about buying the Quickpass transponder.  It looks like it would be a good alternative to having both EZ Pass and Sunpass.  Only drawback I could see would be if their is a dispute regarding billing and a "missed read" - which I have had in the past.  (I once got billed for tolls from Buffalo to Albany because the toll reader in Schenectady did not work)
> 
> For "Sueandmike,"  I put in an initial deposit of $20.00 with a replenish amount of $10.00, when the account gets below $10.00.  Initial charge after tax was $41.19.  Minimum replenish amount possible is $10.00.
> 
> At least I won't be driving around feeling that Hertz screwed me.



You can also set it up so there is no auto replenishment. I do this with our account. I just add $20 or $25 on to the account before our trip and we are covered for the trip and then some.


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## suenmike32 (Jan 28, 2016)

At least I won't be driving around feeling that Hertz screwed me.[/QUOTE said:
			
		

> Actually the fees that Sunpass charged for my set up don't bother me that much.
> I chose the auto replenishment and it ended up being almost $50.00. As Diox points out...there were other options.
> I've had Sunpass stickers before, only to lose them to replaced windshields from Highway stone kick-ups.
> The problem that leaves a bad taste in my mouth is the Plate-Pass charge that is never once mentioned by Hertz at the time of pickup. They were very friendly and had a list of do's & don'ts but left the $4.95 perday PP charge (plus tolls), as sort of a little Easter egg surprise.
> ...


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## johnrsrq (Jan 28, 2016)

*an alternative to sunpass is epass*

I use epass instead of sunpass as I sometimes have to travel through central florida toll areas. It works where sunpass does as I use it on the sunshine skyway bridge. The sticker/card works great. I think it might be worth a look for the OP's needs.

here it is: https://www.cfxway.com/TravelersExpressways/FAQs.aspx?category=1


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## TheTimeTraveler (Jan 28, 2016)

*SunPass Information*

I think the easiest thing for any TUG member should do (or anyone else for that matter) is to go to the SunPass website and read up on the options.

It is very easy to obtain a "visitor" transponder (i.e. from a Florida Supermarket) and activate it.  It is a simple task to change the vehicle and license plate anytime you want.   And, you can fund it as needed.  :whoopie:


Here's the website:    www.SunPass.com


Enjoy the ease of use!   



.


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## johnrsrq (Jan 28, 2016)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> I think the easiest thing for any TUG member should do (or anyone else for that matter) is to go to the SunPass website and read up on the options.
> 
> It is very easy to obtain a "visitor" transponder (i.e. from a Florida Supermarket) and activate it.  It is a simple task to change the vehicle and license plate anytime you want.   And, you can fund it as needed.  :whoopie:
> 
> ...


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## Iggyearl (Jan 29, 2016)

*Wow!  End of my story....*

I ordered the Sunpass from their website - on Monday.  The girl who answered their toll free number said that I would receive my Sunpass in 3 to 5 days. I wasn't so sure.  In today's mail I had my Sunpass, along with a receipt and a copy of operating instructions.  ONLY 4 days!!   From Boca Raton to the Albany area in 4 days.  An efficient governmental agency.  Who would have thunk?


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## TheTimeTraveler (Jan 29, 2016)

Iggyearl said:


> I ordered the Sunpass from their website - on Monday.  The girl who answered their toll free number said that I would receive my Sunpass in 3 to 5 days. I wasn't so sure.  In today's mail I had my Sunpass, along with a receipt and a copy of operating instructions.  ONLY 4 days!!   From Boca Raton to the Albany area in 4 days.  An efficient governmental agency.  Who would have thunk?





This is great news!

Here is the website again for everyone:




www.SunPass.com









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