Notice of Development of Rulemaking

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
RULE NO: RULE TITLE
14-15.0081: Toll Facilities Description and Toll Rate Schedule
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The Florida Department of Transportation is proposing changes in the Toll Facilities Description and Toll Rate Schedule. Video toll rates on the Florida Turnpike System will be established the rates for and cash toll will be discontinued and cash payments will no longer be accepted at the tolling facilities on the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike (H.E.F.T.), including Miramar Toll Plaza, N.W. 27th Avenue, and County Line Road.
SUBJECT AREA TO BE ADDRESSED: Pursuant to Section 338.2216, F.S., Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise is implementing video tolling as an additional payment method in its toll collection operations. Video tolling customers, as defined in Rule 14-100.005, F.A.C., will be subject to the video toll rate. Video tolling will be known as “Toll-by-Plate” on the Turnpike System and the video toll rate will be known as the “Toll-by-Plate” toll rate. The Toll-by-Plate program will allow infrequent users of the Turnpike to benefit from uninterrupted travel however, SunPass toll rates will remain the lowest toll rate option for Turnpike customers because of the lower cost of collection. The facilities affected by the Toll-by-Plate toll rate will be Florida’s Turnpike Mainline (Southern Coin, Ticket, and Northern Coin Systems, the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike (H.E.F.T.), Beachline West Expressway), Polk Parkway, Sawgrass Expressway, Southern Connector Extension, Seminole Expressway, Suncoast Parkway, Veterans Expressway, and the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise segment of the Western Beltway, Part C. The effective date of the Toll-by-Plate toll rate will be the first day the facility is open to video toll traffic.
Approximately six months after the implementation of video tolling on the H.E.F.T., cash toll collection on the roadway will be discontinued. As a result, the cash toll rates on the H.E.F.T. including Miramar Toll Plaza, N.W. 27th Avenue and County Line Road will no longer be effective as of the date the cash collection toll booths are closed for removal, currently scheduled to be in February of 2011. Cash payment for tolls will still be accepted off the roadway through various payment methods, including a new cash payment option available at participating retail stores across the State of Florida.
SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 334.044(2), 338.155(1) FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 338.155, 338.222, 338.2216, 338.231 FS.
A RULE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:
DATE AND TIME: October 15, 2009, 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: This rule development workshop is being held as a statewide webinar proceeding which can be accessed by registering at the following website: www.floridasturnpike.com/all-electronictolling/publicmeeting. For those persons wishing to participate who do not have access to the World Wide Web can attend in person at one of several access points across the state.
SITE ACCESS LOCATIONS ARE ALSO LOCATED AT:
PLACE: Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise Headquarters Auditorium, Turnpike Mile Post 263, Building 5315, Ocoee, FL 34761
PLACES: Florida Department of Transportation, District 4 Auditorium, 3400 West Commercial Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309; Florida Department of Transportation, District 7, Executive Conference Room, 11201 North Malcolm McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612; Snapper Creek Service Plaza, Materials Lab Training Room
Mile Post 19, Florida’s Turnpike, Miami, FL 33186; Florida Department of Transportation, District 1, Mike Rippe Auditorium, 801 N. Broadway, Bartow, Florida 33831
Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/meeting is asked to advise the agency at least 5 days before the workshop/meeting by contacting: Deanna R. Hurt, Senior Attorney and Clerk of Agency Proceedings. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT AND A COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT, IF AVAILABLE, IS: Deanna R. Hurt, Senior Attorney and Clerk of Agency Proceedings, Florida Department of Transportation, Office of the General Counsel, 605 Suwannee Street, Mail Station 58, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0458

THE PRELIMINARY TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT IS:

14-15.0081 Toll Facilities Description and Toll Rate Schedule.

The Toll Facilities Description and Toll Rate Schedule, adopted November 15, 1987, and amended on February 8, 1988, August 1, 1988, February 2, 1989, May 10, 1989, July 1, 1991, August 1, 1991, November 6, 1991, July 11, 1993, November 28, 1993, September 18, 1994, June 6, 1995, July 9, 1995, January 1, 1996, March 31, 1996, April 28, 1996, June 2, 1996, July 28, 1996, September 23, 1997, November 24, 1997, February 12, 1998, June 30, 1998, July 29, 1998, January 6, 1999, February 9, 1999, April 29, 1999, June 21, 1999, September 4, 2001, March 26, 2002, and April 10, 2003, October 1, 2003, December 11, 2003, March 7, 2004, May 20, 2004, November 1, 2005, February 5, 2006, July 27, 2006, October 26, 2006, January 15, 2007, and _______, is hereby incorporated by this rule and made a part of the rules of the Department. Copies of this Department of Transportation Toll Facilities Description and Toll Rate Schedule and any amendments thereto are available at no more than cost.

Rulemaking Specific Authority 334.044(2), 338.155(1) FS. Law Implemented 338.155, 338.222, 338.2216, 338.231 FS. History–New 11-15-87, Amended 2-8-88, 8-1-88, 2-2-89, 5-10-89, 7-1-91, 8-1-91, 11-6-91, 7-11-93, 11-28-93, 9-18-94, 6-6-95, 7-9-95, 1-1-96, 3-31-96, 4-28-96, 6-2-96, 7-28-96, 9-23-97, 11-24-97, 2-12-98, 6-30-98, 7-29-98, 1-6-99, 2-9-99, 4-29-99, 6-21-99, 9-4-01, 3-26-02, 4-10- 03, 10-1-03, 12-11-03, 3-7-04, 5-20-04, 11-1-05, 2-5-06, 7-27-06, 10-26-06, 1-15-07,________.