Sun Pass

I have read a lot about the Sun Pass. I would like to confirm my understanding.

1--We will be driving from Maryland to Miami using I95. I believe the only area we will need the SP is in Miami. We will be staying in the Blue Lagoo area and getting to the port is simplest on a toll road.

2--We will be able purchase the SP at the rest stop as we enter Florida.

3-As only visitors the sticker option is best for our purposes. We have EZ pass but I understand that we are unable to use this in Florida.

4--The cost of the sticker is about $5. How much do we need to add a minimum amount to our account?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

I think the minimum for a SP is $25 and it never expires, but you can ask them at the rest area.

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I personally do not use the sticker. My son who came down from nj bought the sticker and he

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Pressed wrong button. To continue and his window was broken and couldn't use it again. So the next time he came he got the small one and you don't have to stick it up on the window. All you have to do is put it in corner of window and when you don't need it store it in glove compartment. SP will switch any remaining money from sticker to this one for sure.

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the portable can be moved from car to car, and is easy to use in rental cars. The sticker is attached to the glass and therefore a 'one time use'. I've had my portable for over 10 years ... and share among 4 vehicles.

I don't remember the minimum amount you can put in the account, I auto replenish in $20 increments. Auto replenish has a minimum threshold of $10 ..... per the website

if you stay on 95 there are no tolls ... almost everything else in Miami is electronic toll and a SUNPASS is a good way to go BUT IF IN YOUR OWN CAR, Miami will use toll by plate and send you a monthly bill with a SMALL service charge. (Rentals get expensive as they use a third party to connect you to this bill which they receive ... the third party can add BIG BUCKS to the bill)

You can get your SUNPASS by mail, ordering thru the web page https://www.sunpass.com/index easier than waiting 'til you get here.

True your EZ-PASS does not (yet) work in FL ... but then again when I go up north my SUNPASS isn't accepted by the EZ-PASS system so the wind blows both directions .... and nothing on the east coast reads the transponder I have for the Bay Area .....

the portable can be moved from car to car, and is easy to use in rental cars. The sticker is attached to the glass and therefore a 'one time use'. I've had my portable for over 10 years ... and share among 4 vehicles.

 

I don't remember the minimum amount you can put in the account, I auto replenish in $20 increments. Auto replenish has a minimum threshold of $10 ..... per the website

 

if you stay on 95 there are no tolls ... almost everything else in Miami is electronic toll and a SUNPASS is a good way to go BUT IF IN YOUR OWN CAR, Miami will use toll by plate and send you a monthly bill with a SMALL service charge. (Rentals get expensive as they use a third party to connect you to this bill which they receive ... the third party can add BIG BUCKS to the bill)

 

 

 

You can get your SUNPASS by mail, ordering thru the web page https://www.sunpass.com/index easier than waiting 'til you get here.

 

True your EZ-PASS does not (yet) work in FL ... but then again when I go up north my SUNPASS isn't accepted by the EZ-PASS system so the wind blows both directions .... and nothing on the east coast reads the transponder I have for the Bay Area .....

Capt, can you elaborate on "toll by plate"? I thought I read that it is not honored everywhere. We will be in our own car and that would be the best thing for us. Don't know when we will be returning to Florida.

Capt, can you elaborate on "toll by plate"? I thought I read that it is not honored everywhere. We will be in our own car and that would be the best thing for us. Don't know when we will be returning to Florida.

It is down here in Miami where you need it. They take a picture of your license plate and will send you a bill atvteh end of the month. It will be good for 836 which is what you will lose to get to your hotel. And to get to get to the port.

One thing to know, you cannot use the express lane on I-95 with toll by plate. For that you do need the sunpass.

Other than the express lanes you don't need a sunpass. If you are only going to drive to your hotel and drive to the port you will pass by a toll twice. Sunpass saves you the admin fee and sunpass rates are less than toll by plate rates. But if you don't plan on coming back to Florida soon I see no reason for you to get the sunpass.

Blue Lagoon area is decent for a night stay and nothing else. If you will be here for more than a night check out hotels closer to the port in Downtown or Brickell.

a few points to ponder

- the are several entities that operate 'toll roads' in Florida. The State runs the turnpike system and has one set of rules. In Miami there is the Miami Dade Expressway Authority and they have a different set of rules, Orlando has the Orlando Expressway authority. While 'toll by plate' exists in each location, how it is used by the toll collection agency varies .... (and yes they often overlap!)

- In most of FL, where there are toll roads there are both electronic gates and CASH gates (may or may not be attended aka exact change only).

- In most of FL toll-by-plate functions as a backup to the transponder systems (let's just generalize and say SUNPASS). If a car goes thru an electronic toll gate and no SUNPASS is detected the plate is electronically photographed and the database of tags registered with the state is checked b4 a violation is issued. If the tag is registered to a valid SUNPASS, or 'fleet registered' as most rental cars are, the toll is processed accordingly. If a vehicle passes thru an electronic gate with no transponder and checks fail, a violation can be issued.

- Dade County FL (Miami) has Miami Dade Expressway Authority, MDX; and has eliminated most toll booths. This greatly reduced traffic jams ... I know, I lived in Miami when they started removing them! All toll collection in Miami - including the Turnpike system from the county line to Homestead ("turnpike extension" to locals) - is electronic ONLY ... there are NO cash lanes. (minor exception of a few small draw bridges). In the Miami area if you do not have a SUNPASS, the toll-by-plate systems uses a photo of your tag to get billing information (owner and address) and sends a monthly bill (with a SMALL service charge). No violation is issued as no cash option is available. Repeat offenders or invalid registrations are handled differently. The crosstown expressway in Tampa aka Selmon Expressway operates the same.

- <Miami encourages use of SUNPASS versus billing by discounting tolls when paid by SUNPASS as happens statewide>

- earlier post mentioned the express lanes in Miami of I-95. These are PAY lanes during rush hours and payment is ELECTRIC ONLY with NO pay-by-plate - use these without a SUNPASS and expect a present in the mail!!!!

references:

https://www.flhsmv.gov/toll-by-plate-information/

https://www.mdxway.com/

https://paymdxtolls.com/MDXWeb/onlineServiceCenter/faqs

Footnote:

onetime visitors have mentioned never getting a bill or violation even tho they know they went thru A toll or maybe TWO. It has been opined that there is a threshold at which the effort is just not cost effective. I have never seen a policy on this in writing ...... do you feel lucky?

Great information. I believe we will just use the license plate toll. It appears to be a small toll, less than the cost of the Sunpass. We will be going from hotel to port and port to I95 so I think I will take my chances.

Thanks all.

 

Footnote:

 

onetime visitors have mentioned never getting a bill or violation even tho they know they went thru A toll or maybe TWO. It has been opined that there is a threshold at which the effort is just not cost effective. I have never seen a policy on this in writing ...... do you feel lucky?

It could also depend on the state that they are from. Not all states release vehicle registration info to other states. If you happen to have a car registered in one of those states, you will never get a bill.

just go down I-95 especially if its on a weekend. took my truck and boat trailer down I-95 all the way to port everglades and it wasn't that bad. now weekday, its a different story. For me with extra axles I saved $90 round trip by avoiding the turnpike.