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ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida already has more miles of toll roads than anywhere else in the state, and starting Tuesday, drivers will pay more to use them.
Vinicius Carrijo de Castro, a local driver, said the rising costs are forcing him to rethink his budget.
“When it comes to a whole month’s bill, I pay like $120 just in tolls,” Carrijo de Castro said. “Makes me feel like, am I going to have to put tolls as one of my personal expenses, as one of my priorities?”
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Two Florida toll systems will increase rates on July 1. In Tampa on the Selmon Expressway, tolls will rise by about 5 cents.
“In recent years of growing inflation and increased operating and construction costs, THEA has chosen to continue to apply the minimum required growth,” a Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority spokesperson told News 6.
Closer to home, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) will raise tolls between 2 and 5 cents per toll. While you will see higher tolls when on CFX highways, there will be an opportunity to save some money.
“As a reminder, we are the only agency to offer up to 25% savings for E-PASS customers who frequently use our system. This is a customer benefit we reinstated on April 1, 2025,” Racquel Asa, senior director of External Affairs for CFX, said.
The program, reinstated after the state ended its 50% toll rebate program in March, offers savings based on the number of times drivers use the tolls each month.
Richard Persh, another driver, said he is happy about the fact that there is at least some relief available.
“I know we spent a lot of time on the highway going to different places within Florida. So, we crossed those tolls at least 30, 40 times a month. So we do get some of the discount,” he said.
CFX uses toll revenue to maintain, build, and operate its 125-mile system. Still, rising tolls are a financial burden for many drivers.
“Either I take a 51-minute way with no tolls, or I take a 30-minute one and pay like $6 just to go to work and six dollars to come back, also $6,” Carrijo de Castro said.
While Central Florida and Tampa are seeing toll increases on July 1, Miami and the Florida Turnpike plan to keep rates unchanged.
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