PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—Frequent users of Florida’s toll roads are to get discounts of up to 25 percent beginning on Sept. 1 for the next six months.
The discounts were announced by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 25 in Orlando.
Those benefiting will be drivers in good standing on their SunPass or E-Pass transponders who will receive a monthly credit on their accounts.
“The toll relief program will give customers with at least 40 paid transactions a month a 20 percent credit to their SunPass account,” the governor’s office said in a written statement.
“Customers with 80 or more paid transactions will receive a 25 percent credit each month.”
The governor said he wanted to give “immediate relief to motorists.”
“We think the potential benefit is [to] about 400,000 SunPass customers who are using toll roads to get to work every day,” DeSantis said.
“This will end up returning nearly $40 million to SunPass customers over this six-month period—and if you look at people who have to use these [roads] every day it adds up very quickly.”
DeSantis said this was made possible because of a “very robust budget surplus” and “we want to be able to return a big portion of that back to taxpayers.”
Mariah Biddle was in attendance and told the governor that she is appreciative of this initiative because she travels the toll roads daily as she goes back and forth to work as a corrections deputy.
However, she said when money is tight for her family she will take alternate routes that can take longer to get to work and back home.
“I commute at least 2,000 miles for work every month,” she told the governor. “I drive on toll roads and this program will provide relief for those who are already feeling the strain from inflation and high gas prices—but more importantly you can’t put a price on time.”
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez agreed.
“As a Miami resident, I know how difficult it can be to battle the traffic and the difference it can make in the daily commute to take a toll road,” she said.
“The SunPass savings program is going to make the average cost of the daily commute more affordable without having to sacrifice time and efficiency.”
The governor said he would announce other tax cuts and infrastructure projects in the coming weeks.
“We look forward to having a really robust tax relief package, so stay tuned on that,” he teased.
