Anyone who has driven in South Florida knows that drivers here are some of the worst drivers in the country. As such, there are a lot of traffic citations issued every day. There seems to be an endless number of reasons, or combined reasons, that traffic cops write traffic tickets. We at the Traffic Ticket Team specialize in all types of traffic tickets and have a 99% success rate. One of the types of traffic tickets that we handle are toll tickets that result from not paying toll violations. In the field of traffic ticket law, these are not very exciting to deal with, but like all other types of traffic tickets in South Florida, they should be defended because they carry real ramifications.

The State of Florida has 21 toll roads, more than in any other state, and there are more are in the planning stage of development. There are several ways that you can pay these tolls. Paying in cash is often an option, but not all toll areas are set up to take cash and the toll tends to be higher than if it is paid through the use of a Sunpass. This is an electronic device that attaches to your car’s window. When you pass a toll booth sensor, the cost of the toll is automatically deducted from a pre-paid account. This is usually the most inexpensive way to pay a toll because it requires the least amount of effort in collecting the toll fee. In some parts of Miami-Dade County, the FDOT uses a Toll-By-Plate program, also known as We-Bill-You. This program takes a picture of the license plate of a car as it crosses the toll area, and the picture is then mailed to the first registered owner of the vehicle. This is the most expensive way to pay a toll because an administrative charge is added to the toll amount.
Sunpass operators take a picture of your tag when you go through a toll lane. If you don’t pay in cash and there is no signal received from the transponder, they will mail a notice of the toll violation to the address where the car is registered. They are supposed to match your tag to the transponder that they have on file for your car, but this rarely happens. If you realize that you committed the toll violation, you can go online to pay the fine without incurring other charges.
There are a couple of things you can do to minimize the chances of getting a toll violation. Try to always make sure that your transponder is working properly and that it is registered to the car you are driving. You also need to remember to update your car’s registration if you move. Unfortunately, we often don’t think about changing our address on our registration when we relocate, but it is imperative that you do so. Not receiving the Notice of Toll Violation because you no longer live at the address where the car is registered does not absolve you from having to pay the toll.
If you don’t pay the toll violation, you will then get an actual ticket called a Uniform Traffic Citation (UTC). Failure to pay these tolls is considered a moving violation. Just like with other type of traffic tickets, a UTC can have fines of up to $500 and result in points on your driver’s license. Your .50 toll has now turned into a $200 ticket, but DO NOT PAY IT and do not ignore it. This is when you need to call the Traffic Ticket Team; we successfully fight these tickets frequently. As I have said many times before, paying a traffic citation is considered an admission of guilt, and ignoring it can result in your license being suspended.
Although it may seem clear-cut that someone is guilty of a toll violation, there are circumstances that a traffic ticket attorney can find to fight the traffic ticket that results from not paying a toll. The Traffic Ticket Team fights these traffic citations all the time, so call us anytime for a free consultation.