A Florida woman is livid and confused after she alleges she received bills from three different companies for unpaid tolls. In a viral video that has amassed over 111,200, TikTok user Sara (@heysarasmiles) voiced her frustration.
“You know what I don’t understand about tolls?” the woman began in the clip. “Why am I getting toll information from three different companies, and why are they all telling me that I owe different amounts?”
While speaking, she held up open envelopes from different toll companies.
“I have one from the Florida Department of Transportation,” she said. “I have two from SunPass, and then I have three from Central Florida Expressway Authority.”
The woman also claimed that each reported that she owed a different amount for tolls.
She further explained that she has both a SunPass and E-PASS account that could be billed directly, yet she continues to get bills for unpaid tolls.
“I don’t understand what this all means,” she lamented.
In the comments section, many tried to make sense of the woman’s dilemma.
“Yeah you shouldn’t have both,” user Dan DeChilles wrote. “If you have both they are probably charging you twice every time you go through. You only need one.”
“I only have a SunPass and never had any problems…been here for 6 years now,” user F.W. added.
Others admitted that they rarely pay the tolls.
“I just don’t pay them and then when I renew my sticker they have me pay a small fee,” user Alexandria Lynn said.
“I only ever pay FDOT because then I can’t renew my tag without paying them, the others don’t matter,” another viewer added.
@heysarasmiles Toll roads are the biggest scam and Florida is all tolls someone help
♬ original sound – Sara
Why did three different companies bill her?
According to The Central Florida Expressway Authority, there are many ways to pay tolls in the state, including by “E-PASS, Pay By Plate Toll Invoice and cash.” SunPass, a toll payment program available across 21 states, is also valid in Florida.
E-PASS and SunPass require drivers to have a transponder linked to a payment account in their vehicle so it can be charged when they go through a toll lane. E-PASS is operated by the Central Florida Expressway Authority, and SunPass is run by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Since E-PASS and SunPass are run by different entities, it’s likely that each company charged her separately, as a commenter suggested.
Additionally, the FDOT’s Turnpike website states, “If you have a transponder with a prepaid account, your account must contain adequate funds to ensure you can pay your toll. If you do not have cash or a transponder when driving through the toll, you will be billed by TOLL-BY-PLATE. With TOLL-BY-PLATE, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a Toll Enforcement Invoice in the mail with a $2.50 administrative charge.”
Sara may have gotten the letter with the FDOT logo if she had gone through a toll lane without funds on her transponder accounts. In such a case, she would have had to be charged with TOLL-BY-PLATE. According to the SunPass website, the Toll Enforcement Invoice drivers receive when they’ve been billed with TOLL-BY-PLATE have the FDOT’s logo. However, the site does not show whether the logo is on the envelope as well.
Why were the amounts different?
Florida drivers may receive discounts based on how they pay tolls. The SunPass website states that members save “an average of 25% on your tolls over cash and TOLL-BY-PLATE.”
The site also says SunPass members attempting to pay a TOLL-BY-PLATE bill for a license plate not on their account can add the plate. “Upon adding the license plate, the fees will be waived and you will receive a reduction in the amount due,” it states.
On its website, E-PASS states that members “Save an average of 30% on tolls compared with motorists paying with cash.”
The Daily Dot emailed SunPass, the Central Florida Expressway Authority, and the FDOT for more information. It also contacted Sara via TikTok direct message and comment.
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