Florida - Highway toll booths WITHOUT attending person

Since Dollar charged me with 70$!!!!! (administrative fees), for having passed twice (0.25$ each!!!!) these boots (they, HWY MANAGEMENT,usually mail you charges IF you live there), but I'm happen to be a simple tourist driving a rental.
Then HOW CAN AVOID NEXT OCTOBER THIS HAPPEN AGAIN IN MIAMI FL AREA???.Thanks folks.:p

Since Dollar charged me with 70$!!!!! (administrative fees), for having passed twice (0.25$ each!!!!) these boots (they, HWY MANAGEMENT,usually mail you charges IF you live there), but I'm happen to be a simple tourist driving a rental.
Then HOW CAN AVOID NEXT OCTOBER THIS HAPPEN AGAIN IN MIAMI FL AREA???.Thanks folks.:p

here. (https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar)

Then HOW CAN AVOID NEXT OCTOBER THIS HAPPEN AGAIN IN MIAMI FL AREA???.Thanks folks.:p

Bring Change....

Bring Change....Unfortunately, bringing change would not have helped the OP (or any other visitor or resident who drives on Miami-Dade County toll roads). Since earlier in the year, Miami-Dade has removed all toll booths, and has switched to automated toll collection. The automated program is called "Toll-by-Plate".

The program is automated (see the link provided by dopey! in post #2 for a description of how it works). Unfortunately, Dollar (the OP's rental company) uses an administrator that charges an onerous $25 per use fee if the driver has opted out of the automated toll billing program when picking up the car.

WHen the OP returns in October, he/she can do one of the following:

1) Do not use toll roads (not that hard to do, although it may be less convenient)

2) Use a different rental company with less punishing administrative fees

3) If stuck with using Dollar, elect to opt-in to their program, in order to keep the administrative fees in a reasonable range.

Buy a Sunpass before you ever get to Florida.

https://www.sunpass.com/index

They indicate you can use it for rental cars.

Buy a Sunpass before you ever get to Florida.

https://www.sunpass.com/index

They indicate you can use it for rental cars.

I wish I could purchased one!!!
Through the process you must show a US plate number, a US drive license number and state where was issued.
Then a simple foreign tourist, CAN'T purchase one.
Finally Dollar charge you 7$/day something like 14 boots/day!!!!
I'll try to relax and hope some kind of miracle happens, like Sunpass people read this and move on to help Miami visitors like me, trapped on a system ONLY for locals.
Take care.

I'll try to relax and hope some kind of miracle happens, like Sunpass people read this and move on to help Miami visitors like me, trapped on a system ONLY for locals.
Take care.golfaholicdoc, I sympathize with you - the adoption of Toll-by-Plate was unpopular with locals as well. And out-of-area visitors are forced to pay fees to administrative companies (or to avoid toll roads altogether).

Are you forced by company policy to use Dollar? I ask because their administrator seems to be the most expensive. If you only make limited use of the toll roads, using another rental company might help mitigate the cost.

Note: Part of the problem for visitors heading directly from the airport to Miami Beach (South Beach) is that the two "logical" freeway routes, Highway 112 (Airport Expressway) and Highway 836 (Dolphin Expressway) are both toll roads. However, a safe non-toll route to Miami Beach can the the use of be Flagler Street eastwards to downtown, where one can take either the MacArthur or Tuttle causeways to reach the beach areas (no toll on either the Causeways).

(Note to the note: Do NOT take NW 36th Street to downtown Miami and onto the beach, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, no matter what your GPS or Neverlost system might say)!

You can walk into Publix and buy these. Then go to the website and activate it or do it by phone. I am sure they will activate it and take your money one way or the other.

Folks thanks so much for your assistance.

Wait you all in Buenos Aires, my town.Regards.

I like the unattended toll roads; the variable costs are lower (fewer salaries), traffic is faster (nobody stopping or having to exit & re-merge), and I get the Pavlovian gratification of my SunPass beeping on a toll paid.

You can walk into Publix and buy these. Then go to the website and activate it or do it by phone. I am sure they will activate it and take your money one way or the other.

Unfortunately, it looks like the SunPass form only allows you to live in the USA or Canada:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9802610/Screenshots/d1dyro87w_pa.png

More information about Sunpass and rental cars can be found here:

https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

Good Lord, that's infuriating :mad:

My condolences to the OP. Way to antagonize tourists, Miami-Dade.

Buy a Sunpass before you ever get to Florida.

https://www.sunpass.com/index

They indicate you can use it for rental cars.

Can I buy a portable Sunpass even if I dont reside in FL?

Can I buy a portable Sunpass even if I dont reside in FL?

Yes. They sell them online, and any Publix or CVS down here sells them.

Pro-tip: the SunPass Mini stickers are $5, come with $5 worth of tolls, and contrary to what the manual says, they work just fine if you tape it or hold it up to the windshield.

Be sure you register the car's tags with your SunPass account, even for a rental (you can give it a start/top date and time for rentals). This way if the pass doesn't read, they can look up your account instead of mailing you a ticket.

Be sure you register the car's tags with your SunPass account, even for a rental (you can give it a start/top date and time for rentals). This way if the pass doesn't read, they can look up your account instead of mailing you a ticket.Good advice - this system does actually work. A month ago, I moved my (physical) transponder to a different car. Next day, driving in my regular car, I went through a SunPass toll without the transponder. Within a week, the missed toll appeared on my account, and I never had to deal with the mail-in process ^

Is this a complete list of toll roads or are there more?

http://www.floridasturnpike.com/about_system.cfm#8

Need to get from the FLL vicinity to Fort Myers (believe I just take toll-free I-75) and coming back on US41 headed for MIA.

Trying to avoid the toll admin charges.

Look up the Miami Dade Expressway authority, they run the tolls leading to MIA. Your route should all be payable in cash I believe (no unattended tolls).

Note that there is a toll on I-75 headed across to the West Coast, payable in cash.

Is this a complete list of toll roads or are there more?

http://www.floridasturnpike.com/about_system.cfm#8

Need to get from the FLL vicinity to Fort Myers (believe I just take toll-free I-75) and coming back on US41 headed for MIA.

Trying to avoid the toll admin charges.

Look up the Miami Dade Expressway authority, they run the tolls leading to MIA. Your route should all be payable in cash I believe (no unattended tolls).

Note that there is a toll on I-75 headed across to the West Coast, payable in cash.
As already noted....you will pay at least one toll (one way) - $2.50 cash to travel along Alligator Alley (I-75) from the East Coast to the West coast of Florida.

One way to avoid this charge is to drive US-41 both ways (this will require more time than driving I-75).

Generally speaking, it will be difficult to avoid a toll road while driving in the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area....

More information can be found at: www.sunpass.com

Thanks, last time I was driving out that way, only the Florida Turnpike was tolled. When did all these tolls come about?

Thanks, last time I was driving out that way, only the Florida Turnpike was tolled. When did all these tolls come about?

When they built a bunch of new roads in a vain effort to relieve some of the congestion. In some cases, it boils down to pay (and sit in traffic during rush hour) or don't, and sit in traffic at any hour.

One way to avoid this charge is to drive US-41 both ways (this will require more time than driving I-75).


And it will be difficult to avoid the toll roads in Miami Dade county to get to US-41. :(

I was going to buy a Sunpass but I see the temp version has a minimum of $10 purchase and no mention of $5 credit. Have things changed?

I was going to buy a Sunpass but I see the temp version has a minimum of $10 purchase and no mention of $5 credit. Have things changed?

It has a minimum $10 initial balance. It still costs $5 but used to come with $5 of toll credit. It does still cost $5 (plus $10 initial balance) but I don't know about the credit. But even if not, it's only $5

Also, the SunPass mini sticker can indeed be used in multiple vehicles. SunPass/FDOT won't tell you this, but it works fine being held up to the windshield or taped to the windshield.

It has a minimum $10 initial balance. It still costs $5 but used to come with $5 of toll credit. It does still cost $5 (plus $10 initial balance) but I don't know about the credit. But even if not, it's only $5

Also, the SunPass mini sticker can indeed be used in multiple vehicles. SunPass/FDOT won't tell you this, but it works fine being held up to the windshield or taped to the windshield.

In any event, be sure that you keep the record updated with the correct plate number of the car you are using it in. If it doesn't work, when they run the plate you have a defense. I flip my sun pass between two cars (and the occasional rental) if the plate isn't in their computer and the sun pass doesn't work, expect issues