The Florida Department of Transportation announced that beginning in mid-February 2011, all of the state's turnpike tolls will be collected electronically between Exit 47 and Exit 1 in Miami-Dade County. This will affect drivers traveling to Miami or the Florida Keys.

All turnpike motorists will be required to use either SunPass, or TOLL-BY-PLATE, and everyone will pay tolls without having to stop.

Drivers will still be able to pay cash on all other segments of Florida's Turnpike, from its northern point at I-75 in Wildwood to its junction with I-95 in north Miami-Dade.

For those traveling in a rental vehicle, there is an easy and convenient way to pay tolls without stopping. Most rental car companies have programs that allow their customers to charge the tolls to the credit card being used to rent the vehicle. Motorists should check with their rental car company for details. For information about participating rental car companies, go to https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar.

SunPass is Florida's prepaid electronic toll collection system. The system utilizes small, credit card size electronic devices, called SunPass transponders, which attach to the inside of car windshields. When a SunPass-equipped vehicle goes through a tolling location, the transponder sends a signal and the toll is deducted from the customer's account.

The SunPass Mini transponder costs $4.99 reimbursable as a toll credit when registering the SunPass account. The transponder is available at Publix, CVS/pharmacy, Navarro Discount Pharmacies, Sedano's Supermarkets, all AAA locations in Florida, all Turnpike service plaza gift shops and gas stations. For more information, go to https://www.sunpass.com/index or call 1-888-TOLL-FLA (865-5352).

TOLL-BY-PLATE is a toll collection method, for customers without SunPass, which takes a photo of a vehicle's license plate as it travels under tolling equipment installed overhead and mails a bill for the tolls incurred over a 30-day period, plus a $2.50 administrative charge, to the registered owner of the vehicle. Travelers also have the option of establishing a prepaid TOLL-BY-PLATE account by calling 1-888-TAG-TOLL and providing a credit or debit card, to avoid the administrative charge.

The entire Turnpike system of roadways eventually will go to all-electronic tolling. It is anticipated the next phase, from the Golden Glades interchange in northern Miami-Dade County to the I-595 interchange in Broward County, will be ready in 2014.

For more details about the February 2011 launch of all-electronic open road tolling on the southern 47 miles of Florida's Turnpike, go to http://www.floridasturnpike.com/ and click on the green "all-electronic" button or call 1-800-749-PIKE.