As the Florida Department of Transportation turns a century old, protesters statewide are staging a 100-hour demonstrationagainst raising tolls without voter approval.
Organized by political action committee D.R.I.V.E. (Drivers Ready to Improve, Vote and Empower), the event aims to boost support for an amendment to the Florida constitution that would allow the public to vote on future toll increases.
“People are upset about tolling and the expansion of unfair tolling across the state, and we are giving them a solution,” said Chris Wills, the spokesperson for D.R.I.V.E.
In order for the amendment to be on the November 2016 ballot, the group needs to collect 700,000 signatures on their currently circulating petition.
This movement comes after toll increases on State Road 836 and 112last year, and a 1.6 percent price hikein the Sun Pass and toll-by-plate system in July.
Supporters of the protest say the higher commuting costs have had a significant impact on the South Florida community, and want to be able to participate in major toll decisions.
“They have completely eliminated input from the citizens of Dade County as to the tolls and the amount of money they should pay,” said protest attendee Mike Berry, “and to me, it’s out and out robbery.”
“Using a toll road is a choice; it’s not mandatory,” said Yvette Ruiz-Paz, spokeswoman at Miami’s FDOT office, in response to the protest.
Although critical of recent toll increases, D.R.I.V.E. is not completely opposed to the toll system.
“We want the best public roads, but we don’t want it done in an unfair way,” explained Wills. “So our organization is not anti-toll, but we’re saying no more tolls without public approval.”
Protesters will gather at highway locations in Miami, Broward, Orlando and Jacksonville Thursday through Sunday, and will use the hashtag #NoMoreTolls to voice concerns over social media. For more information, see: http://www.nomoretolls.us/
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