Gov. DeSantis suspends SunPass fees until June, contractor fined $4.6M

ORLANDO, Fla — Florida officials said the state is going to give residents more time to sort out any SunPass billing problems.

Officials are also handing a huge fine to the contractor who caused SunPass to melt down in the first place.

The announcement from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the transportation secretary said the state has fined the contractor $4.6 million over this debacle. This is the maximum amount allowed under the contract for the kind of billing failures we've seen.

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The problems started 10 months ago, when Conduent shut SunPass down temporarily for an upgrade and what was supposed to be a weeklong project took a month to complete.

This created delays and lasting billing problems for hundreds of drivers using transponders and toll-by plate.

That's why DeSantis said he directed the Florida Department of Transportation to continue suspending fees and penalties for customers until June 1, a full year after the upgrade.

The FDOT secretary also said they made Conduent provide more support at its customer service centers.

The department is also adding its own resources to continue dealing with this problem, including a new acting director of toll systems.

BREAKING: @SunPass_FDOT woes continue. @GovRonDeSantis orders continued suspension of fees and penalties for SunPass and TOLL-BY-PLATE customers. Conduent has now been assessed $4.6 million in penalties, the max allowed under its contract.
— Deanna Allbrittin (@deannaTVnews) March 29, 2019