As the state of Florida continues its shift to all-electronic tolling, many drivers are noticing that the old toll booth structures remain standing along now-cashless roads — raising questions about what, if anything, they will be used for.
The Suncoast Parkway, which runs from the Hillsborough-Pasco County line north to Lecanto, once had three staffed toll plazas. In 2020, the road went fully cashless, and drivers now pay via toll-by-plate without stopping. The booths, however, are still there.
Pasco County resident Rocky Perkins, who travels the Suncoast several times a year to visit family, noticed the structures sitting idle and reached out to Bay News 9, wondering whether they could be repurposed — perhaps as rest stops, with restrooms or vending machines for travelers.
“Why couldn’t they repurpose some of these?” Perkins said. “The lanes are here already.”
The Florida Turnpike Enterprise, which operates the Suncoast Parkway, said the buildings are currently being used by its operations teams. The agency said there are no plans at this time to remove or replace them.
Whether the state will eventually consider public-facing uses for the structures remains an open question.
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