Dear Friend: As the year winds down, legislative leaders in Tallahassee are pushing for a special session on transportation issues in early December. If scheduled, Tri-Rail funding could be addressed. Florida has an opportunity to receive part of the $8 billion in federal stimulus money that is available for rail projects nationwide. However, the only way to draw down our share in South Florida is by finding a dedicated funding source for Tri-Rail. Last spring, Tri-Rail legislation was included in a broader transit bill that died in the Senate.
Florida’s Turnpike is Moving to an All-Electronic Toll Collection--Florida’s Turnpike is moving to an all-electronic toll collection, with the first implementation on the southern 47 miles of the Turnpike in Miami-Dade County by 2011, followed by other segments. In order to accomplish an all-electronic toll collection, the Turnpike is introducing a new electronic toll collection system called Toll-by-Plate. The Toll-by-Plate system works by capturing an image of a vehicle’s license plate and billing the registered owner for the tolls. The Toll-by-Plate program allows for customers to either call in and register for an account, or just wait for their bill, which includes an administrative charge, in the mail. Payments can be made with cash, credit, and debit using multiple payment methods including mail, on-line, or through new payment kiosks that will be located at major retailers.
The Turnpike is holding a Toll Rate and Administrative Rules Development Workshop on Tuesday, November 17, at 6pm. The Workshop is being held as a statewide webinar, which is a live presentation over the internet. This will allow interested persons to attend the meeting from their personal computer. For more information on the webinar, please visit: www.floridasturnpike.com/all-electronictolling/publicmeeting.html.
For those persons without a computer or internet access, several site access locations are provided at various FDOT offices across the state. The nearest site in our area is at: FDOT, District 4 Auditorium, 3400 West Commercial Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale.
The purpose of the workshop is to present information on proposed toll rate and administrative rule changes and provide the public an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed changes. For further information, please contact Sonyha Rodriguez-Miller, Public Information Officer, at 1-800-749-PIKE or sonyha.rodriguez-miller@dot.state.fl.us.
As always, I appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff if you have any questions or concerns. Our district office number is (561) 470-6593
Kelly Skidmore, State Representative, District 90