Commuters who hit 35 toll transactions per month will see rebates starting this month, after Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the renewed toll reduction program.
The program is part of the budget (HB 5001), which DeSantis has yet to formally receive from the Legislature, but the toll rebate program starts Monday. The Legislature set aside $450 million to reimburse the Florida Turnpike Enterprise and other local toll agencies to offset the rebates.
“That is a way for us to provide relief for folks given that we’ve been in this inflationary period,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Miami. “All throughout the state people are going to be saving on all of those tolls.”
A similar program was enacted for 2023, but ended at the end of that year. According to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the program benefited 1.2 million drivers who saved an average of $400 over the course of the year, or about $480 million.
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez said it will save Miami-area drivers hundreds of dollars.
“When you commute from Kendall to downtown (Miami) … you could pay up to $7 a day,” Nuñez said. “I hope that (the Legislature) will continue it for many years to come.”
The latest program will also last for 12 months, ending on March 31, 2025, but DeSantis hinted the Legislature may renew it next year.
DeSantis said drivers with a toll transponder, such as SunPass, won’t have to sign up for the program but will see the deduction on the following month’s bill.
He also touted his Moving Florida Forward program, which inserted $4 billion into the current budget to speed up important road projects throughout the state.
The first of those, the Golden Glades interchange improvement project, where major South Florida arteries intersect, including Interstate 95 and the Florida Turnpike, will start this month. The initial start date for the project wasn’t until next decade, DeSantis said, adding that the project should take seven years to complete.
“If you live here you know this interchange very well,” FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said. “South Florida has been eagerly awaiting this project for many years.”
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