Legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday providing 50 percent reductions in bills for drivers who pay 35 or more tolls in a month will apply also to customers of Central Florida’s toll-road authority.
Not affiliated with the state’s Department of Transportation, the Central Florida Expressway Authority has about 1.3 million customers who have E-PASS accounts and transponders.
“We are excited that the state is providing our private account customers with the 50 percent discount in 2023,” said Michelle Maikisch, chief of staff at the expressway authority. “We look forward to working with them to make that happen.”
The authority estimates that about 13 percent of its customers will be eligible for the 50 percent reduction in monthly tolls, with the reductions applied automatically. The remaining 1.1 million E-PASS users will receive no reductions.
The bill approving the toll reductions was passed Wednesday during a special session of the Legislature held to address property insurance issues.
“Today, I signed legislation that will cut tolls in half for an estimated 1.2 million Florida commuters,” DeSantis announced on Twitter. “This will save commuters $500 million during 2023. Individual commuters can save up to $1,500, depending on the amount of tolls incurred.”
The department of transportation said the estimated average savings for the life of the reductions will be $400 for a qualifying toll-road user.
The state’s toll program, SunPass, is providing 13 million transponders to customers, meaning only a fraction will receive toll reductions.
Florida’s transportation department is clarifying that along with SunPass and E-PASS, the reductions will apply to users of the Uni transponder, provided by the Central Florida Expressway Authority and usable in 18 states, and the LeeWay transponder provided by Lee County.
Earlier this year, DeSantis administratively imposed discounts for users of DOT toll roads, including Florida’s Turnpike, of 20 percent for 40 or more tolls in a month and 25 percent for 80 or more tolls in a month. The discounts were to run six months, starting Sept. 1.
The Central Florida Expressway Authority, which began to provide discounts long before DOT’s SunPass, quickly matched the governor’s move.
Expressway authority spokesperson Brian Hutchings said those discounts will be suspended in 2023 during the state’s toll reduction initiative.
At the end of the year, the authority will reinstate its “Volume Savings Program,” Hutchings said.
With the toll reduction program coming, the state’s discount program will be eliminated at the end of the year.
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