Construction on Florida’s Turnpike began in the mid-1950s. The original 110-mile stretch of roadway was completed in 1957, when the Sunshine State’s landscape was mainly rural, and drivers needed to cover long distances. Now Florida’s Turnpike System is used daily by an average of more than 3 million customers.

Florida’s Turnpike was originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway and has since been designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike. Florida’s Turnpike is comprised of two sections. The Mainline, which also goes by the name State Road 91, extends from the Golden Glades interchange north of Miami to Wildwood. The Florida’s Turnpike Extension, which connects to the Mainline north of the Golden Glades interchange and ends near Homestead, is also known as State Road 821.

The Florida Turnpike Mainline runs 312 miles through 11 counties in the state’s peninsula, and the Turnpike Extension is 47 miles long. Florida’s Turnpike System includes those two roadways along with the Sawgrass Expressway, the Seminole Expressway, the Beachline Expressway, the Southern Connector Extension of the Central Florida GreeneWay, the Veterans Expressway, the Suncoast Parkway, the Polk Parkway, the Western Beltway, the I-4 Connector and the First Coast Expressway. With the addition of future facilities currently under construction or in planning, Florida’s Turnpike System will make up more than 500 miles of roadway.

Florida’s Turnpike System is operated by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), which acts as a separate business unit of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). FTE is responsible for all operations on every FDOT-owned and operated toll road and bridge.

The FTE five-year work program (2021-2025) contains more than $7.9 billion in capital improvements, which include widening the mainline roadway, new interchanges, safety improvements, resurfacing improvements and maintenance.

Paying for tolls

Every vehicle pays a toll that is generally based on the distance of the trip and the number of axles on the vehicle. Customers can choose to pay their tolls electronically using SunPass (the preferred method), another interoperable transponder, cash or TOLL-BY-PLATE.

SunPass is accepted on all Florida toll roads, while ePass is only accepted on toll roads in Central Florida12. SunPass also has more features and benefits than ePass, such as parking payments and discounts at participating retailers2. However, ePass offers additional discount programs for frequent users, which SunPass does not. The choice between SunPass and ePass depends on where and how often you will be driving in Florida.

Toll rates by region (two-axle) effective July 1, 2023

SunPass is Florida’s Prepaid Toll Program and the preferred method of payment for tolls. Since many toll roads in Florida are converting to electronic, no cash, toll collection, it makes sense to get a SunPass. You can save an average of 25% on your tolls, plus, driving Florida’s toll roads with a SunPass transponder means no hassle no matter what toll road you drive. Opening a SunPass account requires the purchase, activation and installation of a transponder as well as having a prepaid balance on your account to keep it active.

In order to use the SunPass system the vehicle needs to be equipped with a SunPass transponder. The cost of a basic transponder is $4.99. It is placed on your vehicle’s windshield, just below the rearview mirror.

As your vehicle passes through SunPass-equipped lanes, the toll charges are electronically deducted from your prepaid toll account.

TOLL-BY-PLATE is a payment option for customers who do not have SunPass or any other Florida compatible transponder when travelling on electronic toll collection facilities. With TOLL-BY-PLATE, a photo is taken of a vehicle’s license plate when no SunPass or any other Florida compatible transponder is detected as it travels under the tolling equipment.

A Toll Enforcement Invoice is then mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle for the toll(s) incurred over a 30-day period, plus a $2.50 administrative charge. TOLL-BY-PLATE cannot be used on Florida Managed Lanes. If you travel in a managed lane without a SunPass or any other Florida accepted transponder, you will be subject to a $25 daily violation charge.

An all-electronic tolling (AET) system will enable cashless toll collection through transponders or license plate readers and will eliminate the need for a vehicle to stop to pay a toll. The AET conversion projects has been in the works for years. Cash toll collections have been removed at Glades Road, Atlantic Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard interchanges.

By 2025 all the toll plazas along Florida's Turnpike are scheduled to be removed.