It’s been a long time coming, and experienced delay after delay, but effective May 28, 2021, E-ZPass can finally be used throughout the state of Florida.
And by that, I mean the WHOLE state. Not just in certain areas, and not “only on certain roads but not others,” but EVERYWHERE.
Established in 1987, the toll transponder system known as E-ZPass has slowly grown to be accepted in 18 states, including virtually the entire eastern seaboard…except Florida. As a state with high visitor and snowbird volume, that meant travelers to Florida who had an E-Zpass had to either avoid toll roads, pay cash at tolls (which isn’t even an option when some major roadways are “electronic payment only”), pay crazy prices to rental car companies for toll payment privileges, or buy their own transponder locally and maintain a balance year-round.
It was a mess.
But the toll companies knew it, and decided to do something about it. Effective September 1, 2018, E-ZPass could be finally be used on some of the toll roads in Florida. But it wasn’t all of them – not by far. It was only accepted on roads maintained by the Central Florida Expressway Authority, which were certain (but not all!) roads in the greater Central Florida region (specifically all or parts of State Roads 408, 414, 417, 429, 451 and 528 (the 417 [The Greeneway] and 528 [The Beachline, previously The Beeline] are the two roads most often used between Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World).
However roads operated by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprises (part of the Florida Department of Transportation [FDOT]), such as Florida’s Turnpike (S.R. 91), along with virtually all other toll roads in the rest of the state still didn’t accept E-ZPass.
In July 2020, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise announced plans to accept E-ZPass, with a goal of full acceptance by the end of that year. Unfortunately, the end of 2020 came and went with no changes.
And then, on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, someone “flipped the switch” and all of a sudden, E-ZPass was accepted throughout the state of Florida!
From the FDOT/FL Tnpk press release:
“Florida continues to leverage technology and deploy innovative solutions that improve safety and reduce congestion across the state’s transportation system,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin J. Thibault, P.E.“Florida’s partnership with E-ZPass is the next critical step toward national interoperability creating seamless transportation options for Florida residents and visitors alike.”
“The 35–member toll agencies in the 19 state E–ZPass region congratulate the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise on this significant step toward national interoperability in toll collection,” said PJ Wilkins, Executive Director of the E–ZPass Group.“Our customers have long sought a solution where they can utilize a single toll account for their travels up and down the coast. Today’s announcement fulfills a commitment to each of our customers and provides a seamless travel experience. Our congratulations to FDOT and FTE on making this a reality.”
There are over 43 million E-ZPasses out there – having interoperability in the state of Florida will make things a lot easier for a lot of drivers!
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
13 comments
How much does it cost for the E-ZPASS to use for travel?
Each toll in Florida has a different amount. Could be 80 cents, could be $1.25, etc. Depends on what road it is, if it’s an entry/exit vs. on the road itself, etc. Some roads have surge pricing, so it will cost more or less depending of traffic & speed of same.
The key question is: how do you use it if you are a E-Z Pass user from another state? I don’t believe it is advisable to take the pass off the car it’s registered to and use it on a Florida rental vehicle.
It’s been a while since I checked, but I’m pretty sure that’s mentioned on E-ZPass’s website.
I live in SWFL, my E-ZPass is from another state, the transponder is supposed to work frkm Florida to Maine and west to Illinois. I have NOT had any issues other than the Midpoint Bridge
in Ft Myers, FL. I need help straightening this out. I have spent more than 2 hours on the phone and all I’m getting is a run around! I am very frustrated. This is ridiculous!
An FYI, you cannot use E-Z Pass to pay for parking at the major Florida airports. With SunPass Plus, your transponder may be used to pay daily parking fees at: FLL, MCO, MIA, PBI and TPA airports. Because of more frequent trips to Florida and MCO, I’ll keep the SunPass.
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[…] been a long time coming, and experienced delay after delay, but it’s official. E-ZPass can finally be used throughout the state of […]
I had been trying to get my other transporter activated on our other car. No one would answer me to help activate it as there were problems activating it on line & took couple of days for a phone call back. I learned that the E-Z Pass can be accepted now for FL tolls. Today’s date is 6/16/2022. I also heard if people have an E-Z Pass & a Sun Pass on their windshield, the 2 transponders can both charge your car for any single toll (s) outside of FL. People must double check their accts. Please reconfirm with me on this. I was informed to remove one of these 2 transponders, which may have to be the Sun Pass. I should be reimbursed my left over money left in this acct. to my address.
We’ve never had 2 toll transponders at the same time. However car rental companies have warned about something similar (read: using your own transponder while their transponder is still in the car and becomes activated). So yes, I could believe that you would be charged for 2 transponders if both are in the car. After all, the 2 companies don’t “talk” with each other.
I WANT TO CHANGE THE CREDIT CARD I HAVE ON FILE. HOW DO I DO THIS?
I’m not sure – we’re not E-Z Pass ;-). I suspect the information should be somewhere on their website, though. Try Googling E-ZPASS CHANGE CREDIT CARD – hopefully there will be something that can help you that way. Good luck!
Are ez-pass tolls the same for residents in the state it is registered in than other states? Ex: registered in New York and used on a Florida toll road.
I’m not sure – we’re not E-Z Pass ;-). I suspect the information should be somewhere on their website, though.