LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A possible SunPass toll hike is on the way after the state has been cheated out of more than $700,000 alone in Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties.
The deadbeat cheaters have used a variety of clever gadgets to beat the toll plaza cameras designed to capture drivers' faces and their license tags: including electronic curtains that roll down covering the license plate. They are remotely controlled with a device that looks like a garage door opener. They are actually legally sold online.
Others have used plain mud smeared over their license plate, making the toll cameras useless.
The Florida Dept of Transportation (FDOT) tells Jennings that it does use a collection agency to retrieve tolls from SunPass users who just won't pay their bill.
Fox 4 contacted State Representative Bob Rommel of Naples about the $57 million deficit. Rommel, who is a member of the House Transportation committee, promised a complete investigation to determine how and why FDOT allowed the debt to get out of control.
Rommel promised to get back to Fox 4 when his investigation wraps up. He also told Jennings a toll hike could be on the horizon.
