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Driver Says She Received Toll Fines Even Though She Paid

POSTED: 5:59 pm EDT April 15, 2008
UPDATED: 6:20 pm EDT April 15, 2008

Eyewitness News uncovered another horror story involving a toll road customer in Central Florida. The woman told Eyewitness News on Tuesday that she was slapped with huge fines even though she paid her tolls.

The woman said she was forced to pay $1,100 in fines, but she said she did nothing wrong. Turnpike officials, however, dispute her account.

The dispute revolves around the woman's SunPass transponder. The woman says her transponder account had no funds in it, but claims she went through the cash lanes as she travelled the highway.

Over a five-week period, she ended up with six tickets and a total of more than $1,100 in fines.

"You can't afford to pay these when there is no justice applied to you," Cheryl Perry told Eyewitness News,

Perry said SunPass showed no mercy when she let her toll account lapse and opted instead to pay cash for a month at the Lake Jesup toll plaza. But when she went through the cash lanes, her transponder continued to register. The result was a suspended license and, Perry said, an unbelievable $1,100 in fines.

"Injustice! You know, completely being taken advantage of. There have to be some kind of regulations for this and there clearly are not," she said.

"I'd say her recollection must be off on that," said Christa Deason, Florida's Turnpike.

Turnpike officials dispute Perry's claim and say she didn't pay cash. Instead, they said, she went through SunPass-only lanes.

Either way, the result was six tickets. that were not forwarded to Perry's new address when she moved.

"The state of Florida is not a credit agency and you're required to either pay cash or set up a pre-paid toll account," Deason said.

The Turnpike Enterprise does not consider six tickets in a month unfair, but in fact just the opposite.

"Fair is fair and everybody needs to pay their tolls. It's the law and it's the right thing to do," Deason said.

Perry said, after paying up and getting her license back, she's given up on toll roads completely.

Unfortunately, toll violations are not forwarded by the postal service, so often late fees rack up. It's a problem that's been the basis of many complaints about local toll authorities. The Turnpike said they're working to push through new rules that would allow violations to be forwarded when you move.

There are currently about 4 million SunPass and E-Pass transponders in use statewide. Officials with both toll authorities said only a very small percentage of those drivers receive violations each year.


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