Central Florida's Toll Hikes: Funding New Roads for Faster Commutes!

Lake County, Florida, USA - In the heart of Central Florida, toll prices are on the rise, a sign of the region’s rapid growth and ongoing demand for improved infrastructure. As developments unfold, many residents are left wondering where exactly their toll dollars are heading. Recent insights from Click Orlando shed light on the situation, revealing that tolls are the sole funding source for major projects, including the highly anticipated 516 connector road.

This new corridor promises to connect Highway 27 in Lake County to the 429 in Orange County, thereby helping drivers navigate past the notorious traffic on Schofield Road. As Brian Hutchings, Senior Manager of Community Relations for the Central Florida Expressway Authority, points out, the 516 will significantly enhance travel between Lake County, Orange County, and downtown Orlando.

Toll Dollars at Work

The construction of the 516 toll road is a major part of the Central Florida Expressway’s (CFX) ambitious $4.2 billion five-year work plan. What’s interesting is that this extensive plan is entirely funded by tolls, which means there is no reliance on state or federal taxes. Hutchings emphasizes this point, illustrating that all revenue generated through toll collection goes directly back into the operations, maintenance, and improvement of the CFX expressway system.

Within the five-year plan, several initiatives are in the works, including projects to detect wrong-way drivers, paving work, and, importantly, provisions for electric vehicles with the ASPIRE program that will test charging options along the new roads.

Understanding Toll Rates

Curious about how these toll rates are set? The CFX Board adopted a Customer-First Toll Policy back in 2017, which dictates that toll rates can ideally adjust annually by a modest 1.5% or in line with the Consumer Price Index. This helps provide travelers with greater stability over their annual toll expenses. Residents can access a detailed Toll Rate Chart, available as of July 1, 2025, on CFX’s website, making it easy to plan trips based on location, vehicle type, and payment methods, as noted by CFX.

What’s important to remember is that tolls are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to funding Florida’s transportation projects. According to the MetroPlan Orlando, maintaining and developing transportation in our area can be costly. For instance, constructing new or widening roads can run about $6.7 million per mile for a single lane in each direction. A fully-equipped 40-foot passenger bus can cost around $475,000, while multi-use trails come in at an impressive $750,000 to $1 million per mile.

The Bigger Picture

So, where does the money come from to tackle these hefty budgets? While tolls play a pivotal role, they sit alongside a mix of other funding sources, including federal and state gas taxes, among others. It’s noteworthy that the federal gas tax has remained stagnant since 1993, creating challenges as road maintenance costs have increased dramatically over the years. Florida’s counties also have options to impose local gas taxes, though these rates are not inflation-adjusted either.

The reliance on tolls underscores the importance of user fees––these pay-per-mile charges are critical for the upkeep of the toll road itself, as revenues cannot be diverted to non-toll projects. As we look to the future, innovative funding models such as public-private partnerships and potential local sales tax increases are being considered to enhance our transportation capacity—the idea being that a 1% sales tax hike could yield around $489 million annually for Central Florida alone.

As Central Florida continues to grow and the demands on our transportation network mount, understanding how our toll dollars are spent will be crucial. With projects like the 516 connector on the horizon, it looks like there’s much to be gained from those toll fees, provided they are managed wisely.