Florida Turnpike advice please
 

We will be driving from Tennessee to Miami for a cruise at the end of May. I have been reading about the turnpike, tolls and the Sunpass. I do not want to have to stop and hunt down this pass, set up an account while on the road and try to figure out how much money to load. Where is the last exit I can get off the turnpike after paying cash tolls before the Sunpass system is the only one available? I have tried to figure it out on the official website but can't quite get it. We will be staying at a hotel near MIA (in Miami Springs actually) if that helps.

Thanks for your assistance!

Why not take I-10 east at Lake City to Jacksonville and then take I-95 all the way to Miami? This avoids all tolls. It might take nearly an hour more but makes more sense to me.

SunPass will bill you via their Toll By Plate program if you go through without a transponder, and the rate is not that much higher. Use their Toll Calculator to see for yourself:
http://www.floridasturnpike.com/TollCalcV3/index.htm

It's actually not that hard to buy a transponder and load it with some money--again, the Toll Calculator will tell you approximately how much you need. You can order the transponder now, or just buy one at any large grocery chain once you reach Florida. You can add money to it online.

But if you don't think you'll ever use it again, i understand not wanting to buy one. Just let them bill you. Cash is the most annoying way to go, IMO.

I had considered cutting over on 10 to 95. It only added about 40 miles or so to the whole trip and we are doing it in 2 days so it wouldn't be too bad.

Thanks for the quick replies.

trvlgirlmq, here is a link that you were looking for regarding electronic-only vs. cash, plus details mentioned by NewbE:

http://www.floridasturnpike.com/tools_paytoll.cfm

Get off at Exit 49 (Hollywood Blvd) and come east to 95-south

You can buy a window-sticker transponder for SunPass online, and it's not very expensive. They will mail it to you in advance of your trip.

NewBe has it right, just log on to the Subpass site and register your vehicle and do the pay by plate. They charge a small amount more than using the transponder...were talking nickels and dimes here.

No way you want to be on I95 the traffic is very heavy, take the Turnpike for a carefree journey. Paying cash is going to slow you down waiting in toll lines....with the pass you cruise right through hardly slowing down.

Here is where you register https://www.sunpass.com/index

Again I95 is very heavily congested especially as you get to the W. Palm Beach area and south....any little mishap along that route and you could be sitting in traffic for a long time.

I would advise avoiding I-95, as well. Order the transponder in advance, as Doug says--easy peasy. Or pay by plate, as Dave says. These are your best options.

I read the Sunpass stuff on loading money but don't quite understand. I have to attach a credit card but they will automatically load money? Or do I tell how much I want in the account? What if the total trip costs less than the money loaded? Do I get a refund and how do I request it?

This is very confusing. They should just raise the gasoline tax like other states to pay for roads. I may just have to take my chances on 95. It's not like we will be in a hurry.

For anyone who is interested:

We had a Sunpass when we used to drive to FL in our own car. (the kind that is STUCK on one car) Then we started flying down last year.

I had heard of portable transponders, so I got in touch with SunPass, on line, I think, and they sent me one, and also transferred the $$$ we had left on our old "stuck" one (still on the car we don't drive down anymore.)

It works on a rental car obviously, and was very easy to do. We'll take it along this year of course. (Hope I don't forget it, better get it out now!!)

trvlgirlmq, I used to work Florida and I just kept extra $ and change in the console. Honestly, I didn't try to keep track - just had plenty of cash at hand.

That's fine starrs, but some toll plazas do NOT accept cash. You need a sunpass or you "pay by the plate".

<I>https://www.tollbyplate.com/faq

2. How is the toll paid?


A: When a motor vehicle passes through a toll collection facility and the toll payment is not made by either using cash or an electronic transponder, a photographic image of the vehicle's license plate will be captured at the toll lane. The first-listed registered owner of that vehicle will receive an invoice in the mail for the accumulated toll amounts and a $2.50 administrative charge.


</I>I don't remember encountering a toll plaza that didn't accept cash. I defer to those posting here but I don't remember experiencing that. Good to know there's an option if that happens.

For the most part, those that don't accept cash are unattended entrance/exit booths. South Florida has been updating their network and I don't go down too often, so there may be some toll plazas like that down there now.

Interesting point, if anybody recalls - a few years ago, there was a big crack-down on people who didn't pay tolls, and they were arresting people. To make matters worse, it also turned out that many of these "unpaid" tolls were cases where people had transponders with money in them, but the toll equipment was malfunctioning. Thankfully, they've backed away from that sort of insanity.

I have used the turnpike and did find unattended booths that did not take cash ....so I just went on through. I have been told they would photo the license plate and bill me....but it has not happened so far. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

Florida has a lot of cashless toll roads in addition to Florida's Turnpike. In Orlando, for example, there are stretches between WDW and Orlando. This is not at all uncommon, and they are sometimes difficult to avoid when you don't know routes to avoid. So it's not just exit and entry booths. Of course this applies not just to Florida.

trvlgirlmq:

Order the SunPass online. Link a credit card to it. You can choose how much money to load onto it--it does not replenish automatically unless you ask it to.

To decide how much money to put on it, use the Toll Calculator I linked to. You can't get a refund if you don't use all of it, but it will stay on the SunPass for future use.

Or just let SunPass bill you if you don't want to buy a transponder.

This is actually pretty easy. I also think it's a system many states will go to eventually.