Tourism officials set for change in toll system at end of turnpike
Roadway going to all-electronic tolls in February
By KAREN QUIST
Editor, Keys Sunday
Posted - Friday, January 21, 2011 01:49 PM EST
The Florida Keys business community is rallying to make sure future visitors know they won’t be able to pay cash much longer on the last stretch of the Florida Turnpike before they reach the Keys.
That stretch, known as the Homestead Extension, goes to all-electronic toll collections in mid-February. For Florida residents who already have - or can easily pick up - a SunPass, it’s really no big deal. But for visitors driving in from out of state or after picking a rental car at one of the mainland airports, it could be confusing - and potentially costly.
Confusing because it’s only the last 47 miles of the 350-plus mile Turnpike - roughly from Miramar to Florida City - that are affected by the change, which is scheduled for Feb. 19, so even regular visitors might be caught off-guard on the highway when they see their toll booths are gone.
“Everyone’s biggest fear is that someone will stop in the middle of the highway and cause an accident,” said Jodi Weinhofer, executive director of the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West.
And potentially costly because some rental cars may rack up daily charges for use of the toll road, perhaps even when visitors are relaxing on the water in the Keys, far from the congested highway.
Visitors driving their own cars will find a bill - their tolls, plus an administrative fee - from the Florida Turnpike in their mailbox at home.
Neither expense is something tourism officials want to come as a surprise. That’s why the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, Lodging Association and other groups are spreading the word locally and beyond, and want businesses and hotels to notify their future customers and guests.
“We have to handle it so No. 1, people don’t get hurt, and No. 2, they don’t go home and say, ‘I’m never going back there because that was a nightmare,’” Weinhofer said.
Toll by Plate
Folks who’ve sped through the SunPass lanes, with or without a transponder, have been seeing the signs for a while: “We will bill you with Toll by Plate - subject to administrative charges.”
If you don’t have a SunPass, or it doesn’t register for some reason, overhead cameras snap a photo of your license plate, and the Turnpike sends a bill to the car’s registered owner - that’s Toll by Plate. The administrative charge is $2.50 for a 30-day period, which the Turnpike’s Chad Huff says basically covers the cost of the billing.
Starting next month, there won’t be any more cash lane tollbooths, as crews start demolishing them. Huff says they won’t all be gone overnight, but they’re scheduled come down beginning the weekend of Feb. 19.
Eighty percent of the drivers on the Homestead Extension already use SunPass, Huff said, and eliminating the remaining tollbooths has clear benefits both for safety - fewer accidents - and traffic flow on the Turnpike’s most congested section.
SunPass drivers will continue driving through the SunPass lanes just like they always have. Those customers save 25 cents through most toll areas.
Rental cars
Rental car companies are already set up to handle the automatic toll system, either by equipping cars with SunPass transponders or by “Toll by Plate.”
Each rental car company handle charges for differently, whether it’s SunPass or Toll by Plate. All charge some kind of per-day fee, from $2 to $6.99; some also charge toll amounts on top of that fee; and a few will charge a $25-per-toll fee if the renter fails to opt-in and then uses the toll lane.
You can find a list of the companies and their fees at sunpass.com under “Rental Car Toll Programs.”
The potential to rack up significant fees is most troubling to Weinhofer and her tourism and business colleagues.
Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce CEO Daniel Samess said he wants rental car companies to inform customers about the change and their options, so visitors can keep their toll-related costs to a minimum. He doesn’t want to see customers hit with $25-per-toll fees because they fail to opt-in to a toll program, and he hopes rental car companies that charge per-day fees will waive them for the days that visitors aren’t actually using the toll road.
Huff said folks picking up their luggage at Miami International should see signs at the carousels directing them to talk about the toll programs with their rental car companies.
Community outreach
Harold Wheeler, director of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, reports the TDC has posted the information on its website, fla-keys.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook, and the TDC’s public relations team sent out a news release to traditional media Jan. 5. The news will also go out with the TDC’s newsletters, e-mail blasts and sales teams, and the TDC will ask Visit Florida, the state’s tourism division, to spread the word.
Turnpike officials addressed the TDC at its meeting last month, and they’re working their way through the county’s chambers of commerce and other business groups. They spoke to the lodging group last Friday and the Marathon chamber on Tuesday.
Huff, the Turnpike’s public information manager, said the visits are among the efforts the Turnpike is making to ensure the island chain - and its visitors - know about the toll change.
“The turnpike has had a multi-pronged approach to trying to take care of our tourists,” Huff said. One of those prongs - informational displays and brochures - is popping up in local visitor centers and other key spots, including the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports.
Like Weinhofer, Turnpike authorities realize that the disappearance of the tollbooths could confuse even seasoned Keys travelers. “We share that concern,” Huff said, “and that’s why we’ve taken such great pains to conduct outreach and put up signage that says ‘don’t stop.’”
Weinhofer said she’s pleased by the Turnpike’s outreach efforts. “They’re working with everyone,” she said. “They understand that there’s a safety issue and a PR issue.”
But she knows they won’t catch everyone, and new possibilities come to mind every day. Look around town at all the out-of-state plates, she says; how would they find out as they come into the state?
The Turnpike hopes they’ll pick up the information as they cross the state line. Huff said travel centers at the top of the state have been educated about the program, and there are displays and brochures in those spots, as well.
Weinhofer is also concerned about system glitches that might lead to additional tolls or fees charged to tourists who would then have to resolve issues from a distance - a hassle for international visitors.
Huff described the technology “as pretty much infallible,” while acknowledging that glitches are possible. “Most of the failures come from things like failed batteries or an account that’s out of date,” he said.
At a couple of spots along the Turnpike, Huff said drivers will be able to purchase a preloaded SunPass that’s ready to use immediately. It’s a pilot program aimed at the road’s infrequent users.
“We want the travel experience of our tourists, particularly those going to the Keys, to be as smooth as possible. We don’t want to create more of a headache. Ultimately this will benefit them as far as safety and convenience.”
McClatchy Tribune news service contributed to this report.
