What To Do With No Money On The Florida Turnpike

One of the fastest ways to get to Walt Disney World from Orlando International Airport is via the Florida Turnpike (look for signs at the airport reading “FL-417 South”).  There are two or three toll booths along the way, depending on whether you exit at mile marker 6 (for Epcot) or mile marker 3 (Magic Kingdom).  The first two tollbooths are staffed with Florida Turnpike employees, and cost $1.25 each.  The third tollbooth, near the Magic Kingdom exit, is not staffed and costs $0.75.

If you’re taking these roads, we recommend you bring $4 in dollar bills and $3 in quarters for the round-trip drive.  If you find yourself short of cash, however, it’s easy enough to explain to the toll booth attendants; they’ll give you a form to fill out and send in payment later.  But what happens if you find yourself without enough spare change to pay for that last $0.75 toll?  Reader Dave L wants to know:

What happens when you’re on  the toll road and are supposed to pay a $.75 toll, but only have large  bills or a credit card? We drove through the booth because there were people behind us.  Am I doomed?  We’re out of state and I want to pay it.

The first thing we should point out is that you should never get out of your car to ask someone for change.  Besides the risk of being struck by a car, let’s just say that most Floridians do not welcome unexpected visits from strangers walking along the highway.  Simply drive past the tollbooth as Dave did, and follow these instructions.

If you’re driving a rented a car, contact your rental car company and tell them you missed the toll, and see what their policy is on the missed toll.  Some will simply add it to your bill along with a small “convenience charge.”

If this was your own car, you can mail Florida the payment.  This page from the Florida Turnpike’s website has the details for both situations: http://www.floridasturnpike.com/tools_tollviolations.cfm

The worst thing you can do is nothing, so definitely send in that payment.  We’d love to hear from readers who’ve gone through this experience, and how it turned out.