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SB 6-A — Toll Relief
by Senator DiCeglie
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Fiscal Policy Committee (FP)
The bill directs the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) to establish a toll relief program, effective from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, for all Florida toll facilities that use a Florida-issued transponder or are interoperable with the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT’s) prepaid electronic transponder toll system (SunPass). The bill defines terms and provides that an account that records 35 or more transactions per eligible transponder per calendar month is eligible for an account credit equal to 50 percent of the amount paid for the qualifying transactions.
The bill appropriates for the 2022-2023 fiscal year the nonrecurring sum of $500 million from the General Revenue Fund to the State Transportation Trust Fund for use by the FDOT to reimburse the FDOT, the FTE, and other Florida toll facility entities for account credits issued. The bill prohibits the use of such funds for administration, contracted services, or expenses. The bill requires the FDOT to provide reimbursements to support compliance with bond covenants made with bondholders.
The bill requires the FDOT to submit quarterly reports to the Executive Office of the Governor and the chairs of the legislative appropriations committees documenting reimbursements to the FDOT, the FTE, and other Florida toll facilities and toll facility entities for the credits, with specified supporting documentation. The FDOT must reconcile all disbursements and transfers for reimbursement by the end of the month following each quarter, transfer all interest earnings from the appropriated funds to the General Revenue Fund, and provide a reconciliation report.
Any unexpended balance of funds appropriated by the bill to the FDOT for toll relief as of June 30, 2023, reverts and is appropriated for the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year to the FDOT for the same purpose. Any unexpended balance of funds as of February 29, 2024, immediately reverts to the General Revenue Fund.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect upon becoming law.
Vote: Senate 38-0; House 116-0