Image: clker.com

Mail Bag: What do Florida toll fees say to tourists?

Yesterday, I received a piece of correspondence linked from this gentleman’s Facebook feed. He was obviously perturbed and asked me to post it here on ReFLocate.com.

It seems he received an invoice after using a toll road utilizing photo tag technology. His comment is below:

Marketing tolls?

It seems some tourists may not understand how the Florida toll system works as it relates to taxes and usage fees. Is the state doing a good enough job telling people how to minimize service fees and explain how the system works — and why it’s there? Are tourists being made aware that Florida has no state income tax? Are they making tourists aware that there are cost-cutting methods to defray toll fees, such as SunPass, or county systems, like LeeWay?

If not, a marketing gap could be hurting Florida tourism.

Good or bad?

As a local, I grumble about tolls every day; I think many do. And during season, I also grumble about the extra traffic from tourists as well. Yet, with the toll alternative being state taxes for a cluster of other services I might not use, I am torn.

What do you think? Feel free to comment below.