Florida drivers have been paying tolls since the Turnpike opened in 1957.
The state kept promising those tolls would disappear once construction costs were covered.
And Ron DeSantis just announced one proposal that could finally end decades of broken promises.
DeSantis Wants Residents Off the Hook Completely
During Wednesday's Florida Cabinet meeting, Governor DeSantis floated eliminating tolls for Florida residents entirely.
Not a discount. Not a rebate program.
Gone.
"How long do we keep the tolls? These tolls, they've been here since I can remember, like as a kid, the tolls on the turnpike," DeSantis said. "You know, at what point is all this going to be paid off now? Now maybe we have uptake. Look, you could charge the visitors, and they could probably support it all and give our Florida residents a break. I think that would be a really good idea."¹
Florida operates more than 700 miles of toll roads collecting over $2 billion annually.²
The state originally told taxpayers tolls were temporary – just until construction debt got paid off.
That was almost 70 years ago for the Turnpike.
Yet tolls kept climbing while only 18.7% of revenue actually maintained the roads.
The rest?
Funneled to build new toll roads and expand the state's toll empire.³
Bond Finance Director Ben Watkins responded to DeSantis by saying, "We'll take a look at that."⁴
Translation: the governor just put ending resident tolls on the table as a serious policy option.
DeSantis Has a Track Record of Toll Relief That Works
This isn't DeSantis spitballing.
He's already delivered massive toll savings to Florida residents twice.
In 2023, DeSantis implemented a program giving drivers with 35+ monthly toll transactions a 50% credit to their accounts.⁵
That program delivered $500 million in savings to over 1.2 million commuters – roughly $400 per person.⁶
DeSantis extended the program through 2024 for another $450 million in savings.⁷
The previous programs cut tolls in half.
Now DeSantis wants to eliminate them for residents completely by shifting costs to out-of-state visitors.
"You could charge the visitors, and they could probably support it all and give our Florida residents a break," DeSantis explained.⁸
Florida attracts 137 million tourists annually – far more visitors than the state's 23 million residents.
https://twitter.com/JasonDelgadoX/status/2001322036937834906?s=20
Those tourists already drive toll roads to reach theme parks, beaches, and attractions across the state.
Making them cover the full freight while residents drive free?
That's exactly the kind of bold move frustrated taxpayers have begged for.
State Representative Fentrice Driskell claimed Democrats care about affordability for Floridians.
"They are tired of headlines, they are tired of culture wars, they are tired of feeling like their government doesn't care about or doesn't listen to them," Driskell said.⁹
Funny how Democrats suddenly discovered "affordability" after DeSantis already delivered two years of actual toll relief while they complained about it.
The difference is DeSantis delivers results, not rhetoric.
What Standing Between Florida Drivers and Toll-Free Roads
DeSantis didn't provide specifics on implementation.
How would the state verify residency at toll plazas? Would tourists pay double or triple current rates? Could the numbers actually work?
Those details matter.
Florida's tolls fund ongoing road maintenance and pay off bond debt from construction projects.
Eliminating resident tolls means tourists would need to cover roughly $2 billion annually in revenue.¹⁰
That's a heavy lift even with 137 million visitors.
But Florida's in the strongest fiscal position in state history, according to Bond Finance Director Watkins.¹¹
The state's been using surplus revenue to accelerate debt payments on roads and bridges.
DeSantis already eliminated virtually every state tax he could touch – no income tax, permanent sales tax exemptions, eliminated business rent tax.¹²
"We don't really have taxes at the state level left to cut," DeSantis said.¹³
Tolls are the last major cost hammering Florida families.
Making tourists pay while residents drive free isn't just good politics.
It's recognition that Floridians already paid for these roads through decades of tolls that should have ended 50 years ago.
The infrastructure's built. The debt's mostly paid down. The state's flush with cash.
Time to stop charging residents for roads they've already paid for multiple times over while tourists cruise through at resident rates.
DeSantis proved he can deliver toll relief that actually saves families hundreds of dollars.
Now he's proposing to finish the job completely.
¹ Jason Delgado, "DeSantis suggests ending all tolls for Florida residents," Spectrum News, December 17, 2025.
² Douglas Soule, "DeSantis suggests scrapping tolls for Florida residents," WUSF, December 18, 2025.
³ "Q&A of the Day – Where does Florida's turnpike toll money go?" 1290 WJNO, March 16, 2021.
⁴ Mackenzie LaPorte, "DeSantis floats ending all tolls for Florida residents," WFLA, December 18, 2025.
⁵ "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Bill to Expand Toll Relief for Florida Families," Florida Department of Transportation, December 15, 2022.
⁶ "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces $450 Million for a Second Consecutive Year of Toll Relief for Florida's Families," Executive Office of the Governor, April 1, 2024.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Delgado, Spectrum News.
⁹ LaPorte, WFLA.
¹⁰ Soule, WUSF.
¹¹ LaPorte, WFLA.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ Ibid.
