Miami Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) estimates a 30 percent refund of the tolls paid by MDX’s frequent customers who are members of the MDX Cash Back Toll Dividend Program will be distributed this year.
MDX’s qualifying tolls for the Cash Back program are those paid on the agency’s five user-supported expressways in Miami-Dade County – SR 112/Airport Expressway, SR 836/Dolphin Expressway, SR 874/Don Shula Expressway, SR 878/Snapper Creek Expressway and SR 924/Gratigny Parkway. The Florida Turnpike or I-95 Express Lanes are not under MDX jurisdiction and, therefore, are not part of the program.
The distribution amount to MDX Cash Back program members is calculated at the end of each fiscal year, July 1 through June 30, after the agency has met financial obligations. The initiative is then approved by the MDX Board of Directors. This is the second consecutive year MDX aims to return toll revenues resulting from the efficiency of agency operations.
“This December, we expect to mail out checks to almost 60,000 families and businesses in our community that paid tolls on MDX expressways and registered for the program in 2015 or between January 11 and March 31 of this year,” said MDX Executive Director, Javier Rodriguez. To participate in the program, MDX system users must register on www.mdxway.com during the open enrollment period every January, have a SunPass account in good standing and spend a minimum of $100 annually on any of the five MDX expressways.
Through their toll payments, MDX customers fund the projects that alleviate traffic congestion, create thousands of local jobs and provide new opportunities to small and local businesses. One such example is the current modernization of the 50-year-old Dolphin Expressway (SR 836), which strives to address the growing needs of the community and improve safety and travel times.
MDX also is dedicated to contributing to the local economy by empowering small and local businesses to gain professional experience. The agency recently held its annual MDX for Business Conference, giving business leaders from more than 200 small and local companies, the opportunity to talk to MDX staff, network with vendors and maximize public and corporate contracting opportunities. More than 260 individuals attended, making it the most attended conference in 11 years.
The guest speaker at this year’s conference was Grindly Johnson, Virginia Deputy Secretary of Transportation, named one of “The Women Who Move the Nation” by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. Secretary Johnson lauded MDX for awarding service contracts to small, local businesses at a rate of 35 to 40 percent, exceeding the federal and state government rate of 10 percent.
“At the core of MDX’s mission, the agency reinvests 100 percent of its revenue into bettering our community and quality of life for our residents and businesses, and the movement of people and goods throughout the county,” said MDX Chairman, Louis Martinez. “We have created more than 23,000 jobs over the past 20 years and have paid more than $172 million in service contracts to small and local Miami-Dade County businesses during the past five years.”
To learn more about MDX for Business, visit www.mdxway.com/doing_business/economic_development.
