General Florida & Miami I-95 Express Lanes Questions

[RobinKY]

So I flew into Orlando-Sanford airport, booked a rental car then drove down to Miami for cruise. We had Allegiant credit to use up and that airport-flight worked the best. I thought it was a nice easy airport to get in and out.

 

Rental Cars

I never used to get the additional insurance for the rental car but have also purchased the minimum coverage which I thought would cover up to $X,XXX of damages. I have heard rental car horror stories & scams about extra charges for damages. I was planning on getting the minimum insurance coverage this time but being in a hurry & a little flustered the rental car guy said most people get the full coverage for $24/day and I said okay. He didn't tell me about other cheaper coverage but I asked a quick question and his response was worded in a way that it sounded they didn't offer it.

 

Again being in a hurry I said okay and went with full. It ended up being $164 extra. I felt swindled afterwards. I guess my fault for not being more prepared but I felt he could have showed me more options. What do others usually do for insurance rental cars?

 

I wondered if it would have been cheaper to do a one-way rental each way since the rental was in a parking garage for 3days.

 

Miami Express Lanes

We were running late for cruise and I got hopped in the I-95 express lanes. A few miles later I noticed the signs said the express lanes were subject to tolls and for Sun Pass users only. Some toll signs said they were $0.00, some $.50 and some $1. Violations were $25 plus toll. I was in a rental car so will the state issue a citation to the rental car company and they will charge my credit card on file?

 

 

Random Florida Question

Driving down I-95 it seems there is wasteland or undeveloped land as far as the eye can see. Who owns this and is the land used for anything?

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

Regarding the tolls: I use Avis and they have the Sun Pass in the car. They charge maybe a $5 service fee and then the toll amount is billed to your credit card.

 

I never ever buy their insurance. Ever.

[Pyrate13]

Many credit cards insure you when you rent a car. Mine do. Best to call their customer service number to make sure you are covered though. Also, my personal insurance covers me for a rental car, no need to take the rental company insurance.

 

The rental company will hit you for the fines and tolls in most cases. Sometimes they will even add additional fees for their handling or service.

[thinfool]

Next time: Allegiant flies to Ft Lauderdale from LEX and CVG (Cincinnati).

 

If you have full coverage (collision, comprehensive) on your personal car at home it is doubtful you need any coverage from the rental company. This is a huge upsell for the company and is pure profit for them. Check with your local insurance agent.

 

Florida toll roads will bill the rental company based on the license plate. The rental company will then add a hefty service charge and bill you for the toll.

 

The HOV lane is free for any car with two or more occupants.

 

For a 3 day cruise it may or may not be cost effective to do two one-way rentals. For a 7 day cruise it definitely is. Be sure to shop for a one way rental with no drop off fee. These are common but not universal within Florida.

 

All that 'barren' land that you see is private....owned by someone or some corporation....often populated with large number of cattle. There are a few sites that the State owns and may be wildlife sanctuaries.

 

To save time driving from Orlando, use the turnpike. Just be sure you have the 'sunpass' or tolls charges worked out with the rental company before you start.

Edited May 10, 2016 by thinfool

[Host CJSKIDS]

Unless the rental car had the surpass and you had set up that account with them, you will eventually get hit with the tolls and fines for using the express lanes in Miami. It will catch up with you. Yes, the car rental company will get hit with it all and charge the card you had on file and then either email you or mail you the receipt. They will get in touch with you.

 

My friend just learned this the hard way!

[capriccio]

 

The HOV lane is free for any car with two or more occupants.

 

 

Just be aware that the express lanes on I-95 around Miami and beginning soon (I think they are testing the toll machines now) in Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) are not HOV lanes but toll lanes with toll exemptions for registered drivers (for example, registered 3 person + carpools, registered hybrid vehicles, etc.). Otherwise you should have a SunPass on your vehicle if you intend to use the express lanes. See http://www.95express.com/faq. In Palm Beach County the HOV lanes are free and require 2+ occupants at certain hours.

[fishywood]

Rental car agencies in Florida will have their entire fleet enrolled in toll-by-plate. When the camera in the toll gantry detects a car that does not have a Sunpass, it scans the plate and bills the registered owner for just the toll amount as long as the tag is pre-enrolled in toll-by-plate. So the rental agency will only have to pay the normal toll--but it will charge your credit card on file the toll amount plus whatever outrageous usurious "cashless toll daily service charge" you agreed to in the tinytinytiny print that you initialed half a dozen times. And I said "daily" because many car rental agencies charge a "toll service charge" per day for each day you have the car even if you only accumulate a single toll.

Edited May 11, 2016 by fishywood

[Capt_BJ]

do you own a car and have insurance on it? If so there's a good chance that insurance applies to a rental. It says exactly this on my insurance card .... "Policy coverages extend to a rental car." Buying rental insurance is needed by folks who do not have insurance or want different or more coverage from what they carry . . . insurance on a rental IS a way they make extra $$.

 

How the toll will be processed on a rental varies by rental company. Most of the majors are mentioned here: https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

Edited May 11, 2016 by Capt_BJ

[Host CJSKIDS]

Rental car agencies in Florida will have their entire fleet enrolled in toll-by-plate. When the camera in the toll gantry detects a car that does not have a Sunpass, it scans the plate and bills the registered owner for just the toll amount as long as the tag is pre-enrolled in toll-by-plate. So the rental agency will only have to pay the normal toll--but it will charge your credit card on file the toll amount plus whatever outrageous usurious "cashless toll daily service charge" you agreed to in the tinytinytiny print that you initialed half a dozen times. And I said "daily" because many car rental agencies charge a "toll service charge" per day for each day you have the car even if you only accumulate a single toll.

 

The express lanes are Sunpass only, they do not work in the toll by plate.

 

I have a friend who lives in Florida who for some silly reason doesn't have a sunpass and going down here got the fine on his own car because he figured it was toll by plate like the turnpike down here.

 

 

If you unintentionally enter the 95 Express lanes and are not a registered 95 Express toll-free user or a SunPass customer, you are still obligated to pay the toll. Please mail toll payment (check or money orders only, indicating vehicle plate information, date, time and 95 Express) to FDOT Turnpike Enterprise, P.O. Box 310, Ocoee, FL 34761-0310. DO NOT SEND CASH. Please be sure to retain a copy of your cancelled check/money order in the event a FDOT toll violation is generated. This may assist in closing the document once the document is received.

If you do not recall the toll rate in effect at the time you drove through the 95 Express lanes, please call the SunPass Customer Service Center at 1-888-865-5352 for assistance.

In the event that you receive an Unpaid Toll Violation, Violation Warning Letter or a Uniform Traffic Citation, be sure to respond by the due date and follow the instructions on the toll violation document.

If you do not recall the toll rate in effect at the time you drove through the 95 Express lanes, please call the SunPass Customer Service Center at 1-888-865-5352 for assistance.

[RobinKY]

So I could pay the toll on line hopefully before it is submitted to the rental car company?

[BlueHerons]

 

The HOV lane is free for any car with two or more occupants.

 

.

 

Unless this has changed recently, the hot lanes are toll lanes for everyone and not carpool lanes.

 

I've seen the toll as much as $10 when traffic is really heavy.

[Grandprix]

Yup, surge pricing.

I have yet to figure out how politicos got tolls placed on interstate highways that were bought and paid for by federal funds.

Never underestimate the incompetence of government, yet be supremely capable of taking more of your money.

[BlueHerons]

Yup, surge pricing.

I have yet to figure out how politicos got tolls placed on interstate highways that were bought and paid for by federal funds. .

 

Because, Miami.

 

Seriously there cannot be a more corrupt city in the US.