Florida- The rules are different here Chapter Two

Being a Masochist is truly a requirement for residency here. Here is the latest example of why from today's Orlando Sentinel.

Robert Perez
Sentinel Staff Writer

August 19, 2005

Operators of Central Florida's two main toll-road systems blamed each other Thursday for the soaring number of faulty toll violations, a problem that is leading to thousands of tickets and even license suspensions.

Officials at Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, which runs the SunPass system, said the problems would be quickly cleared up if the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, which runs E-Pass, would simply share more information about its customers.

But E-Pass officials countered that the problem lies with inferior toll equipment that fails to properly read transponders and registers violations where there should be none.

Caught in the middle are E-Pass users such as Elroy Caines, who wonders whether the system is capable of correcting its own mistakes. Caines, of Orlando, said he thought he had dealt with incorrect toll violations months ago but found out this week his drivers license was close to being suspended.

"I drive to work every day," he said. "I can't have my license suspended."

Since May, when SunPass began a zero-tolerance policy toward toll runners, nearly 7,000 Central Florida drivers have been hit with tickets and fines, and an unknown number have had their licenses suspended.

Many of those violations were because of equipment glitches and were not the driver's fault.

Despite the problems, turnpike officials said they have no plans to back off the crackdown.

Typical Florida shenanigans and bureaucrats at work. I'm just glad not to be a Sun Pass user and I never will.