(C) Florida Phoenix This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Toll relief: Not everyone would benefit even if residents are struggling in FL [1] ['Issac Morgan', 'More From Author', '- December'] Date: 2022-12-12 State lawmakers are moving forward on a plan to provide discounts on toll charges, but the program would not apply to all residents who may be struggling to pay for tolls in Florida. Instead, the toll relief program would only benefit frequent commuters using Florida’s many toll roads, bridges, and lanes that charge a fee for drivers in Florida. And the toll relief program proposal would only be from Jan. 1, 2023 through Dec. 31, 2023, — just one year, according to a legislative staff analysis. Florida toll prepaid programs include SunPass, E-Pass, LeeWay and Uni, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. That said, Democrats raised concerns that the legislation doesn’t help other drivers who use toll lanes and roads less frequently. On Monday, Senate members of the Committee on Fiscal Policy voted unanimously in favor of SB 6-A entitled “Toll Relief,” sponsored by state Sen. Nick DiCeglie. Under the toll relief proposal, people who use electronic-based transponders in Florida, such as E-Pass and SunPass, would be able to receive a 50 percent discount on tolls if they have 35 or more toll transactions per month. “Individuals that record 35 or more toll transactions per month, using a Florida-issued electronic transponder are eligible for an account credit of 50 percent of the toll charges,” said DiCeglie, a Republican representing part of Pinellas County. The 50 percent credit would then be applied to the transponder account the following month, according to a staff analysis. Florida’s prepaid toll programs use a transponder, an electronic device attached to a vehicle to recognize tolls and authorize withdrawals from a prepaid account. However, state Sen. Lori Berman argued that the toll relief program should be expanded to help more residents. “I am gonna support the bill today and I think it’s important that we do help different groups. But I have concerns that we are picking winners and losers in this bill and we are picking the commuters,” Berman, a Democrat representing part of Palm Beach County, said during Monday’s committee meeting. “I think about somebody who may be on dialysis, and three times a week they may have to go on the highway. They are not going to get 35, probably in their monthly number,” Berman said. “And they are not gonna get the benefits. I would like to see if there is something we can do to benefit a broader class and not just the narrow class we picked in this bill.” According to the bill language, “a qualifying account that records 35 or more ‘qualifying transactions’ per transponder per calendar month is eligible for an account credit equal to 50 percent of the amount paid in that calendar month for the qualifying transactions per transponder.” A “qualifying transaction” is toll transaction that is paid through a state-issued transponder used for travel on a Florida toll facility. Meanwhile, lawmakers convened in the state Capitol this week for a special session on property insurance, toll and disaster relief initiatives that were proposed by many Republican lawmakers in the Florida Legislature. Anders Croy is the communications director of DeSantis Watch, an anti-DeSantis political group. He told the Florida Phoenix on Monday that “the bill doesn’t go far enough by not providing permanent relief” to commuters. “The toll rebate plan is just a cover for the wider giveaway to the insurance industry that is the centerpiece of this special session,” Croy said in an email. At the meeting, Berman asked the bill sponsor whether he’d look “into the idea instead maybe lowering the rates on tolls so that all people would benefit instead of just one class of commuters?” DiCeglie acknowledged that “we did not look at that, I did not look at that.” DiCeglie said: “Obviously, 35 transactions per month, those are typically folks who travel to work five, six times a week. Those are our hardworking Floridians. So the thought here is that , you know, if we can give an opportunity for them to save some money on a monthly basis, I believe, you know, the frequent commuters can save upwards of $550 per year. And that’s real money.” He added: “It will make a real impact in the everyday lives of our constituents.” [END] --- [1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/12/12/toll-relief-not-everyone-would-benefit-even-if-residents-are-struggling-in-fl/ Published and (C) by Florida Phoenix Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/floridaphoenix/