Florida Politics by Noah Pransky
March 27, 2019
As the SunPass Saga turns 300 days old Wednesday, Florida’s Department of Transportation is still keeping taxpayers and drivers in the dark when it comes to a looming March 31 deadline, set by the agency for all drivers to pay off backlogged bills, severely delayed by FDOT and contractor failures.
When asked what the department’s plan was for a large number of drivers expected to carry ongoing balances past the deadline, FDOT spokeswoman Ann Howard said Monday she couldn’t say anything until the agency decided on its “messaging.”
She did not return a follow-up call Tuesday.
The questions about the March 31 deadline have gone unanswered for several months.
Ever since a SunPass system upgrade went horribly wrong in June 2018, the state has chosen to communicate about the crisis primarily through news releases and by ignoring reporter questions. FDOT has compounded its customer service nightmare with concerted efforts to downplay the problems and sweep others under the rug.
