HOV lanes are no more in Florida.
Drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles will still get a pass on express lanes for a while, though.
A new law that went to effect Tuesday eliminates high occupancy traffic lanes throughout the state. There were about 50 miles of highways with that designation. Most of those miles were in South Florida, including I-95 express lanes in Broward County.
The designation reserved the lanes for cars and trucks carrying more than the driver. However, hybrid and electric vehicles were allowed to drive in them even when carrying no passengers. Drivers of these vehicles could get a decal from the state for $5 allowing them to use the HOV lanes and bypass any tolls.
The provision deleting the legal framework for HOV lanes is included in a much larger comprehensive transportation law. The repeal of the HOV lanes was not mentioned as the legislation made its way through the Legislature this spring.
It passed unanimously in the Senate. Only seven statehouse members voted against the bill.
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The Florida Highway Safety and Motor vehicles website no longer displays its page for the high occupancy vehicle decal. The state's Department of Transportation's South Florida Commuter Services program has stopped accepting new registrations for the decals. Drivers with existing decals that are still valid will be able to use the toll lanes for free until their existing exemptions expire over the next year.
I-95 Express lanes in Miami-Dade County use dynamic tolling. The cost to drivers to use the lanes changes depending upon traffic congestion. These lanes had been considered HOV lanes, but that nomenclature was dropped by the state transportation department in favor of calling two of the north-bound and south-bound lanes express lanes.
The toll ranges from 50 cents to over $10.
Registered carpool drivers with at least three people will continue to drive on the express lanes for free.
Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne M. Gannon issued a statement on Monday about the new law.
"My goal is to inform Palm Beach County vehicle owners of this change to avoid unnecessary calls into our office questioning their HOV decal," said Gannon. "We are complying with this recent change to the law, and we have ceased issuing HOV decals."
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