FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Thursday, providing account credits to frequent commuters using toll roads across Florida.
According to DeSantis' press release, DeSantis signed Senate Bill 6A, establishing the Toll Relief Program to provide Floridians who use Florida-based toll transponders, such as SunPass, with 35 or more toll transactions per month will receive a 50% credit to their account.
“I promised Floridians that I would find additional ways to provide toll relief for Florida families,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “With this legislation, we are keeping that promise to help hardworking families keep more money in their pockets."
The relief program is set to begin January 1, 2023 and run through December 2023 and is expected to reportedly benefit around 1.2 million drivers, saving the average commuter nearly $400 in the 2023 calendar year, according to the press release.
“For many Floridians, tolls are an unavoidable cost of commuting to work five or six days a week,” said Senator Nick DiCeglie. “This bill is a common sense solution that provides relief at a time when Floridians need it the most."
The legislation was proposed back in September by DeSantis and passed during the recent Legislative Special Session, in which he applauded the Florida Legislature for making it a priority.
Due to the bill being signed by the governor, the Toll Relief Program was established through the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. says they are thrilled to offer the relief program.
“Customers are at the center of all we do at FDOT, and this program will truly make an immediate impact on the everyday lives of our customers,” said Perdue.
According to the press release, the Toll Relief Program builds upon the success of the SunPass Savings Program introduced by DeSantis back in August.
The SunPass Savings Program began on September 1, 2022, and was approved for six months, but is set to end on December 31, 2022. The SunPass Savings Program has reportedly saved an average of 371,000 drivers more than $13.3 million.
