Toll suspension on Florida roads ends Thursday

Tolls suspended because of Hurricane Irma will return Thursday on most of Florida’s toll roads, the state Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.

After a suspension of 16 days, the return of tolls will occur at 12:01 Thursday morning.

Loss of toll revenue for the Central Florida Expressway Authority may be nearly $16 million, according to that agency.

The local authority is the primary operator of toll roads in the Orlando area, with a network of more than 100 miles of expressway.

The system’s average daily revenue is $1 million, according a spokesman.

Tolls will remain suspended on the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike south of the interchange with State Road 874 to help Monroe County residents with recovery efforts, according to the state road agency.

The state agency operates Florida’s Turnpike, spanning 320 miles in Central and South Florida, and nearly 10 other tolled segments of expressway.

A spokesman for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, a branch of the state Department of Transportation, said no estimate has been made for the amount of toll losses for the state.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority has never before succeeded in getting state or federal compensation for revenue lost during suspension of tolls.

The agency expects to analyze the amount of toll revenue lost and “explore our options” for compensation for lost revenue, a spokesman said.

When he announced the suspension of tolls Sept. 5, Gov. Rick Scott said “ensuring the safety of Florida families and visitors is our top priority and suspending tolls statewide will help people quickly evacuate and make it easier for all Floridians to access important hurricane supplies to ensure they are fully prepared.”

He said also: “They will be suspended for the duration of the storm’s impacts to Florida.”

Earlier this week, the governor’s office was giving no hint of when to expect the return of tolls.