What becomes of ‘abandoned’ Florida toll booths?

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Toll booths are becoming a thing of the past in Florida, with many roads now using toll-by-plate.

But what becomes of those buildings no longer in use?

Viewer Rocky Perkins asked Real Time Traffic Expert Tim Wronka that question in this week’s Traffic Inbox.

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.

“I really enjoy it because it’s very relaxing, very rural,” Perkins said. “Once you get out of north Tampa, set your cruise control and off you go.”

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.

It used to have three working toll plazas. In 2020, they all went cashless. Now drivers don’t even have to stop to pay. 

When Perkins took the Suncoast over the holidays, he noticed something as he passed the old toll plaza north of State Road 50.

“As I was driving through, I noticed the last couple of years, they’ve been abandoned,” Perkins said. “There’s no one here or no one comes through here normally.”

And that’s why he has been wondering if the buildings could be used for something else, like a rest area?

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.

Perkins hopes the state considers making them a future stop.

“Why couldn’t 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,” Perkins said.

Do you have an idea or question for Traffic Inbox? Let Tim know here!