According to WESH, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to make tolls a thing of the past, at least for Florida residents.
DeSantis recently made comments about eliminating toll fees for Florida residents, while continuing to have visitors to the state pay tolls.
If you’ve ever driven to Disney World or driven in the Orlando area or anywhere else in Florida, you’ve probably come across toll roads, or turnpikes, where you have to pay a fee to proceed. Although the digital age has made paying fees easier (and in many times, automatic), DeSantis is suggesting that seasonal residents and tourists passing through the state should be the only ones paying those fees.
Florida collects around $2 billion every year from these tolls. DeSantis said that he wanted to take a closer look at how those funds are collected. Toll funds generally go towards paying off bonds that finance building the road and towards new projects.
“The tolls have been here since I can remember. As a kid, they had tolls on the turnpike. At what point is all of this going to be paid off?” DeSantis said.
Around 80 percent of drivers use toll transponders, though, which offer a lower fee than paying with cash. If DeSantis’ idea takes hold, those transponders may no longer be needed, although visitors will still need a way to pay tolls.
We’ll keep an eye out for any updates and let you know when we know more. In the meantime, check back with AllEars again soon for more.
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What do you think? Do you support eliminating tolls for Florida residents? Let us know in the comments!
Leave it to DiSantis to make it even more difficult and unwelcoming for visitors. Residents should pay the tolls. They are using the roads, and benefit from local services that use those roads: Police, fire,delivery trucks, etc. Why should tourists subsidize YOU?
Good idea.