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In a unanimous decision, the Board of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority approved the distribution of the cash back rebate under the Frequent Drivers Rewards Program. The Board waived the eligibility criteria by combining the total amount of tolls paid by drivers between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2021, lowering the threshold to $100 and removing the $300 cap on the cash rebate. These one-time modifications will provide approximately $4.8 million in cash rebates to 68,267 existing members of the program that qualify under the new criteria. The time frame of the eligibility was extended to two years to take into consideration impacts from the pandemic.
The Frequent Drivers Rewards Program was established to reduce the tolls paid by frequent daily commuters, and small and local businesses. To date, the Authority has paid its frequent customers $19 million for the four years that the program was active.
“This is the right decision that will benefit a greater number of our frequent users of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority’s roads,” Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz said. “I am proud that this authority has responded to the needs of the community while assuring that all of the Authority’s financial commitments have been met.”
The Authority’s Vice-Chair, Dennis Moss sponsored a resolution urging the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida’s Turnpike to also implement a toll rebate program comparable to the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority’s program to provide Miami-Dade County residents, daily commuters, and businesses toll relief on all State owned and operated expressways within Miami-Dade County.
“It is important that other transportation agencies follow the lead of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority to provide the same kind of opportunities and breaks to commuters in Miami-Dade by giving a toll rebate,” stated Moss, “Approximately 60% of the tolls we pay in Miami-Dade are for the use of the Turnpike and the Department of Transportation Express Lanes, something must be done so all our residents can benefit.”
The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority operates and maintains five user-supported local expressways in Miami-Dade County – 112/Airport Expressway, 836/Dolphin Expressway, 874/Don Shula Expressway, 878/Snapper Creek Expressway, and 924/Gratigny Parkway. The Authority’s expressways are funded by toll revenue, which is reinvested back into the community and funds the construction of projects that alleviate traffic congestion, create thousands of local jobs, and provide new opportunities to small and local businesses.
