Any way to fight Florida scamming me on a missed toll?

Shatty McKracken · Jul 10, 2019

I got a letter in the mail today from the state of Florida. I live in Indiana. We were on vacation there last year and they sent me a grainy black and white picture of the back of my car with license plate highlighted and said this was their evidence that I ran a toll booth outside of cocoa beach and to pay the $4.50 toll + $3.00 administrative fee to their website or they would have my state suspend my drivers license.

This is legit and not a random scammer. It's the actual state claiming this. I verified it.

This is an illegal shakedown. I remember every toll booth we paid on that day and I've never ran a toll booth in my life. My wife was pretty adamant also because she knows we paid every toll between Orlando and Cocoa Beach.

This is some bullshit and it's not about $8. It's about them running a scam on tourists to pad their government bank accounts. Has anyone ever tried to fight something like this? I suspect Florida knows that it's such a minimal amount than very few, if any, will put up a fuss about it and they'll just pay it and go on. I'm pissed enough to fight it on principle.

Mr. X · Jul 10, 2019

You'll lose, it's not worth your time or money.

Deleted member 6263 · Jul 10, 2019

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Rodney McKay · Jul 10, 2019

Was it a toll booth or an automatic toll?

Where I've lived in Washington and now in San Diego we have some toll roads that don't have booths, but UV lights that's either register that you have the sensor in your windshield and auto charge your account, or if you don't have the sticker/sensor you get the picture and bill in the mail.

The letter should have instructions on how to challenge it.

Deleted member 3038 · Jul 10, 2019

Are you 100% It's actually a Toll booth invoice? Because I receive those Invoices monthly because of a light @ US 1 that has a Automatic Toll

Robochimp · Jul 10, 2019

Posting this thread was already not worth it, just pay it.

Jarmel · Jul 10, 2019

lol $8

BassForever · Jul 10, 2019

Florida sent me a toll slip once for .50 cents, and in the image you could see a $1.00 bill in my hand... because it was a coin only toll.

It's not worth fighting just pay it

Shatty McKracken · Jul 10, 2019

Rodney McKay said:
Was it a toll booth or an automatic toll?

Where I've lived in Washington and now in San Diego we have some toll roads that don't have booths, but UV lights that's either register that you have the sensor in your windshield and auto charge your account, or if you don't have the sticker/sensor you get the picture and bill in the mail.

The letter should have instructions on how to challenge it.

I would assume they're all toll booths. I don't see how tourists could possibly have these sensors like you might have if you lived there. We stopped at every toll booth between Cocoa Beach and Orlando and paid. And there are like 5 of them. That picture they sent me as 'evidence' was bullshit. Somebody could have taken that same photo while I was going through a car wash.

Slipknot666 · Jul 10, 2019

Lol. They are just automatic tolls that take pictures at every car. They are all over in Tampa and Orlando.

You are going to sue the State of Florida for $8?

Tawpgun · Jul 10, 2019

Could be worse.

I got a piece of mail from a lawyers office saying I owed a toll I ran in Houston (no ez tag at the time) for my old car (now broken down and scrapped) with my old license plate (from when I lived in mass)

This was like over a year since the alleged toll. And since then the penalty fee for nonpayment has accrued to over $100.

But it was literally the FIRST notice I got.

So I just send them like 5 bucks at a time when I feel like it. Yours isnt that bad so I would just pay them but if you want to be petty you can try what I do.

Robochimp · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
I would assume they're all toll booths. I don't see how tourists could possibly have these sensors like you might have if you lived there. We stopped at every toll booth between Cocoa Beach and Orlando and paid. And there are like 5 of them.

If you don't have the toll pass thing oftentimes states have a website where you can plug in your route and your license plate and pay your tolls.

Something triggered you as going through without paying.

It could be worse some tickets can be $100+.

Rodney McKay · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
I would assume they're all toll booths. I don't see how tourists could possibly have these sensors like you might have if you lived there. We stopped at every toll booth between Cocoa Beach and Orlando and paid. And there are like 5 of them. That picture they sent me as 'evidence' was bullshit. Somebody could have taken that same photo while I was going through a car wash.

That would be weird if they suddenly just switched to not having a booth and just the auto sensors, but there are places that absolutely dont have toll booths anymore.
You just get the letter in the mail and an extra couple buck charge.
Or like mentioned above you can go online and if you do it within a few days you can pay the toll online without the extra mail fee I think.

I think I drove through a toll thing like that around Miami, but thankfully I think the rental company took care of it. Either that or I did the online thing fast enough to avoid the extra fee.

NinjaScooter · Jul 10, 2019

Rodney McKay said:
Was it a toll booth or an automatic toll?

Where I've lived in Washington and now in San Diego we have some toll roads that don't have booths, but UV lights that's either register that you have the sensor in your windshield and auto charge your account, or if you don't have the sticker/sensor you get the picture and bill in the mail.

The letter should have instructions on how to challenge it.

Ran into the same thing in the Bay Area in CA once.

MrNelson · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
I would assume they're all toll booths. I don't see how tourists could possibly have these sensors like you might have if you lived there. We stopped at every toll booth between Cocoa Beach and Orlando and paid. And there are like 5 of them. That picture they sent me as 'evidence' was bullshit. Somebody could have taken that same photo while I was going through a car wash.

They're not all toll booths. Most of the toll roads here in Tampa are either Sunpass, or toll-by-plate if you don't have one. You likely hit one of these without realizing it.

Br3wnor · Jul 10, 2019

I'd just pay the $8. If you ignore it they'll probably slap you with a $100 late fee or something and then eventually get a judgment against you. Fighting it would probably require you to go to Florida which right there costs way more than $8.

ResetGreyWolf · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
This is an illegal shakedown.

It's about them running a scam on tourists to pad their government bank accounts.

OP, I understand you're upset, but it could very likely just be a mistake. I don't really think a state is trying to scam you.

Shatty McKracken said:
That picture they sent me as 'evidence' was bullshit. Somebody could have taken that same photo while I was going through a car wash.

Come on, lol. This is one heck of a reach. No one took a photo of you while you were going through a car wash.

The photo was definitely taken by an automatic camera. No manual labour went into this.

Liquidsnake · Jul 10, 2019

Fight it to the death on principle.

Deleted member 36578 · Jul 10, 2019

While I agree $8 is nothing, that's exactly why this could be a scam like the op is suggesting. Blow that whistle and put an end to this injustice op! I don't know how you can prove it or fight it or change anything, but hey I wouldn't put it past them to be dishonest and fool people into paying.

Edit; sounds like they're all the rage on those roads. Probably legit. Pay it and forget it.

Lakeside · Jul 10, 2019

We vacation in Florida a lot. As others have said, these are unmanned toll roads that snap a picture of your car and then hunt you down like this. It's legit.

Have spent enough time in the location we visit that we know exactly where the pics are taken and the family acts goofy when the pics are taken, even though everyone knows it won't be visible. I actually just paid one of these last week from a trip in May.

Deleted member 18400 · Jul 10, 2019

This sounds like conspiracy theory shit OP.

You probably didn't realize you went through an auto-toll. It's 8 bucks, just pay it.

Imthefunmachine · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
I would assume they're all toll booths. I don't see how tourists could possibly have these sensors like you might have if you lived there. We stopped at every toll booth between Cocoa Beach and Orlando and paid. And there are like 5 of them. That picture they sent me as 'evidence' was bullshit. Somebody could have taken that same photo while I was going through a car wash.

When I rented a car In Florida I also had to rent a wireless wireless sensor because of the wireless toll lanes.

raYne_07 · Jul 10, 2019

Imthefunmachine said:
When I rented a car In Florida I also had to rent a wireless wireless sensor because of the wireless toll lanes.

When was this? I thought they moved on to tolls via license plate long ago? I actually don't remember the last time I had to use a sensor, but the least few years it's been toll by plate. They just send me a bill after I return the car.

As for the OP, yeah.. I'm not about to waste my time fighting 8 dollars.. from another state too? Nah. Just pay it and move on with your life.

deftech · Jul 10, 2019

raYne_07 said:
When was this? I thought they moved on to tolls via license plate long ago? I actually don't remember the last time I had to use a sensor, but the least few years it's been toll by plate. They just send me a bill after I return the car.

As for the OP, yeah.. I'm not about to waste my time fighting 8 dollars.. from another state too? Nah. Just pay it and move on with your life.

Yup, could be the toll by plate thing. There isn't anyone there, or any place to stop. They just take a picture while you're on your merry way.

taylor910 · Jul 10, 2019

Figured I'd chime in as well. There are areas where you don't have a choice to pay manually as others have said.

But also, I've called toll enforcement to confirm it was my license plate and they realized they sent it to me by mistake. Some letters/numbers can look similar. The pictures they have are clearer than the grainy one they send you by mail.

Elderly Parrot · Jul 10, 2019

raYne_07 said:
When was this? I thought they moved on to tolls via license plate long ago? I actually don't remember the last time I had to use a sensor, but the least few years it's been toll by plate. They just send me a bill after I return the car.

As for the OP, yeah.. I'm not about to waste my time fighting 8 dollars.. from another state too? Nah. Just pay it and move on with your life.

You save a good amount of money with the sensor in Florida. You can do either.

As a Florida attorney who knows nothing about traffic laws I say pay the bill before it gets worse. I'm pretty sure they can reach out to another state and have your license suspended and most states honor this because they want to receive federal funding from highways or something. I'm pretty sure they can't go to a debt agency though and they won't lock you up but still

Jarrod38 · Jul 10, 2019

Just pay it and move on. Also always have a Bill Oddie mask for that kind of stuff.

Walter White Walker · Jul 10, 2019

Even if you don't agree with it just pay it and move on. They can make your life hell and there's nothing you can do about that.

raYne_07 · Jul 10, 2019

Elderly Parrot said:
You save a good amount of money with the sensor in Florida. You can do either.

Yeah, I know. It's comparable to the EZpass system we have here in NY. You can either pay by plate or subscribe to EZpass which saves you a bit. I don't go through toll areas here enough for it to matter, probably once every few years, so I just go the plate route.

Funny enough, I spent a week in FL recently, was on highways pretty much all the time, went through like 7-8 toll cameras and got a bill for like 9 bucks. Went to Jersey recently, drove through 2 cameras (1 going and 1 coming back) and got a bill for 30+ dollars. Tolls in the Northeast are bullshit. Makes the OP wanting to fight $8 ridiculous.

Shatty McKracken · Jul 10, 2019

Alright you all have convinced me to pay it. I know about the sunpass system in Florida and I know you can buy it and drive right through toll booths. But there was also an option to stop and pay at every toll booth between Orlando and Cocoa Beach and we did stop at every single one.

Lakeside · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
Alright you all have convinced me to pay it. I know about the sunpass system in Florida and I know you can buy it and drive right through toll booths. But there was also an option to stop and pay at every toll booth between Orlando and Cocoa Beach and we did stop at every single one.

These things aren't toll booths. There is no place to stop.

Davilmar · Jul 10, 2019

MrNelson said:
They're not all toll booths. Most of the toll roads here in Tampa are either Sunpass, or toll-by-plate if you don't have one. You likely hit one of these without realizing it.

This. I lived in North Tampa. Especially if you're passing by the downtown area. It could very likely be that the guy didn't notice it.

Deleted member 7572 · Jul 10, 2019

Mail them a grainy black and white picture of $8.

Hiphopopotamus · Jul 10, 2019

Floriduh Man: Gotcha! 🐊🍊

I am a Bird · Jul 10, 2019

Florida would burn the state to the ground before letting precious toll money slip away.

TheConfidenceMan · Jul 10, 2019

Are you notified you're driving on a tolled road when they take a picture and send you a bill?

MrNelson · Jul 10, 2019

TheConfidenceMan said:
Are you notified you're driving on a tolled road when they take a picture and send you a bill?

Road signs warn you beforehand if an upcoming road has a toll, and most navigation services identify toll roads (and allow you to bypass then if you wish). The unmanned ones have large archways filled with sensors and cameras at either the entrances or the exits (or sometimes both) to ping your device, if you have one, and snap a picture of your plate.

statham · Jul 10, 2019

Same thing happen to us last year coming back from Orlando to Jacksonville. We justed paid it, not worth the drama.

Travo · Jul 10, 2019

I would just pay the 7 and change.

Inugami · Jul 10, 2019

It's $7.50... and you're risking losing your license over it. Yeah it sucks, but there are absolutely no options that you can take that won't cost you more either directly (hiring a lawyer, flying to Florida to try and fight it in court, etc) or indirectly (hours of your life on back and forth phone calls and emails).

Deleted member 3183 · Jul 10, 2019

This happened to me on the M50 in Dublin, on a rental car. I just paid it. No one from the rental car company or otherwise even bothered responding to me.

xxracerxx · Jul 10, 2019

I thought the amount would be a lot larger than $7.50 when I opened this thread.

Dyle · Jul 10, 2019

Just let it go and pay them $7.50, you're already losing money fretting about it so much

xxracerxx · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
Alright you all have convinced me to pay it. I know about the sunpass system in Florida and I know you can buy it and drive right through toll booths. But there was also an option to stop and pay at every toll booth between Orlando and Cocoa Beach and we did stop at every single one.

You are misunderstanding, these are toll roads for people with the passes. They don't have toll booths. You could have easily gotten on one of these roads without realizing it.

StopMakingSense · Jul 10, 2019

Rodney McKay said:
That would be weird if they suddenly just switched to not having a booth and just the auto sensors, but there are places that absolutely dont have toll booths anymore.
You just get the letter in the mail and an extra couple buck charge.
Or like mentioned above you can go online and if you do it within a few days you can pay the toll online without the extra mail fee I think.

I think I drove through a toll thing like that around Miami, but thankfully I think the rental company took care of it. Either that or I did the online thing fast enough to avoid the extra fee.

Your rental company ripped you off for it, more like. They like to charge you 30 or so bucks to cover any tolls you trigger if you trigger any. So if you only trigger a couple you get hosed.

Deleted member 6215 · Jul 10, 2019

If it makes you feel any better, a missed toll in IL would likely have you looking at a fine 10x as much.

Aiervon · Jul 10, 2019

Don't pay it. Just ignore it. Let's see if they'll actually suspend your license over it.

Shatty McKracken · Jul 10, 2019

xxracerxx said:
You are misunderstanding, these are toll roads for people with the passes. They don't have toll booths. You could have easily gotten on one of these roads without realizing it.

I do understand the difference but there's only like one highway that leads from Orlando to Cocoa Beach. You don't make a lot of twists and turns and get off this road and get on a different one and then get on a different. It's pretty much a straight shot. And on this particular there are probably 4-5 toll booths where you can either stop and pay or stay in the far left lanes and go on through if you have the sun pass. I stopped for every single one of them and paid. It doesn't make sense to me that you would have 4-5 pay toll booths on this straight shot..but oh wait there's a hidden one also that is sun pass or transponder only. I guess it's a possibility but I've driven this toll road before and never been dinged.

TheLetdown · Jul 10, 2019

Shatty McKracken said:
I do understand the difference but there's only like one highway that leads from Orlando to Cocoa Beach. You don't make a lot of twists and turns and get off this road and get on a different one and then get on a different. It's pretty much a straight shot. And on this particular there are probably 4-5 toll booths where you can either stop and pay or stay in the far left lanes and go on through if you have the sun pass. I stopped for every single one of them and paid. It doesn't make sense to me that you would have 4-5 pay toll booths on this straight shot..but oh wait there's a hidden one also that is sun pass or transponder only. I guess it's a possibility but I've driven this toll road before and never been dinged.

It's been a while since I moved from there but on the 528 or the Beachline (formerly the Beeline) they installed a toll that was surpass only. No cash option or booth.

Cash drivers were meant to leave the road onto a county road for a brief period and then get back on.

It is not clear in any way.

But again, it's been a while since I left there.

Scoobert · Jul 10, 2019

You went through a toll by plate. It pretty much looks like this and you probably didn't even notice it

Any way to fight Florida scamming me on a missed toll?

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