Robert Perez
Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
August 18, 2005
Thousands of Central Florida drivers are being slapped with tickets, fines
or suspended licenses after the state in May launched a zero-tolerance
policy for motorists who go through automated tollbooths without paying.
But the policy is, in many cases, penalizing drivers for honest mistakes --
and even for equipment glitches that are the toll system's fault.
Just last month, an estimated 5,000 citations were issued in Lake, Osceola,
Orange and Seminole counties. That compared with about 600 in April, just
before the new policy took effect.
Some violations are legitimate -- the toll was not paid, a transponder
account was not properly funded or the transponder itself was placed
incorrectly. But the Orlando Sentinel found that drivers often are not at
fault or are unaware any problem exists.
Some SunPass toll plazas operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise,
including one at the turnpike and State Road 50 in Orange County and another
on State Road 417 at the Lake Jesup bridge in Seminole, have repeatedly
registered violations because the toll lanes weren't working properly.
The problem is some plazas have missed software upgrades.
E-Pass users are especially vulnerable. Their transponders, issued by the
Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, may register insufficient funds
at SunPass lanes, though the E-Pass accounts have money in them.
That's because of the way the two systems share information. Each morning,
an electronic list of active E-Pass accounts is sent to SunPass toll plazas.
But any dormant account fixed during the day won't show up on SunPass as
active until the next day's update.
A Clermont woman was cited nine times at a single toll plaza in April and
May, though she had money in her E-Pass account. An Altamonte Springs man
was ticketed for not paying a toll in April, though the citation clearly
shows the toll was paid.
The problem is more serious for Maricel Santiago of Oviedo.
On Tuesday, she received notice that her drivers license had been suspended.
She said she received warnings in April about toll violations, but she
thought the problem was a dead transponder battery. She got a new battery,
but she never called SunPass or E-Pass offices.
E-Pass officials are questioning why a system with so many potential
glitches would go to a zero-tolerance policy.
"You don't have a zero-tolerance policy unless you have a perfect system,"
said Bryan Douglas, the authority's spokesman.
Indeed, the new policy is drastically different. Florida's Turnpike
Enterprise, the state agency that operates the turnpike and stretches of the
Orlando-area beltway, used to issue two warning letters and allow as many as
three violations in a month before issuing a citation. It now gives
violators just five days to fix the problem or face penalty.
Officials acknowledged that some honest customers are getting caught in a
crackdown aimed at scofflaws.
"The changes are necessary to provide a deterrent effect to those who make a
conscious decision to violate," said Christa Deason, turnpike spokeswoman.
Deason stressed that people who receive the warnings should immediately
address the problem, including contacting E-Pass or SunPass authorities. She
said the turnpike authority is working on clearing up glitches, but for now,
the authority is putting the onus on the people who receive violation
warnings.
As for mistakes in the system, especially those created by mix-ups involving
E-Pass, Deason said only that the agency is constantly working to make the
system work better.
"We don't want to be issuing violations when people don't deserve a
violation," she said.
But the agency is.
E-Pass phone lines and offices have been swamped with complaints about
faulty citations, said Bryan Douglas, spokesman for the Orlando-Orange
County Expressway Authority.
In July, the authority asked to dismiss 905 citations issued by SunPass to
E-Pass customers, Douglas said.
Part of the problem lies in SunPass equipment that at times does not read
transponders. SunPass catches the problem for SunPass customers -- that
agency can verify whether accounts are active -- but E-Pass customers are
out of luck because SunPass does not have access to their accounts.
"We don't have the same safety net as SunPass customers," Douglas said.
That's why Santiago and her husband, David, spent Tuesday and Wednesday
scrambling to fix the problem instead of being on a boat in the Gulf of
Mexico celebrating their 25th anniversary.
"Instead of being on vacation and going to Sarasota," David Santiago said,
"we're dealing with this."
Robert Perez can be reached at rperez@orlandosentinel.com or 407-772-8046.
Copyright (c) 2005, Orlando Sentinel