PASCO COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Toll booths are becoming a thing of the past in Florida, with many roads now using toll-by-plate.<\/p>\n
But what becomes of those buildings no longer in use?<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Many toll roads across Florida are now cashless, yet toll booths are still there\u00a0
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The Suncoast Parkway used to have working toll plazas but went to toll-by-plate in 2020\u00a0
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The state says there are currently no plans to remove or replace the Suncoast toll booths\u00a0<\/p>\n
Viewer Rocky Perkins asked Real Time Traffic Expert Tim Wronka that question in this week\u2019s Traffic Inbox.<\/p>\n
Perkins drives on the Suncoast Parkway several times a year to visit family up north. He says he often prefers the quieter route to taking a busier one like I-75.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really enjoy it because it\u2019s very relaxing, very rural,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cOnce you get out of north Tampa, set your cruise control and off you go.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Suncoast Pkwy starts at Veterans Expressway at the Hillsborough\/Pasco County line and goes to State Road 44 in Lecanto, then onto County Road 486.<\/p>\n
It used to have three working toll plazas. In 2020, they all went cashless. Now drivers don\u2019t even have to stop to pay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Perkins took the Suncoast over the holidays, he noticed something as he passed the old toll plaza north of State Road 50.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I was driving through, I noticed the last couple of years, they\u2019ve been abandoned,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cThere\u2019s no one here or no one comes through here normally.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s why he has been wondering if the buildings could be used for something else, like a rest area?<\/p>\n
The Florida Turnpike Enterprise, which runs toll roads like the Suncoast, said the buildings are currently in use by the operations teams. There are currently no plans to remove them.<\/p>\n
Perkins hopes the state considers making them a future stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy couldn\u2019t they repurpose some of these? Or put in some restroom facilities or put in some vending machines. Or a place for people to take a break. The lanes are here already,\u201d Perkins said.<\/p>\n