The toll plaza on SR 682, just west of Dolphin Cay Lane S and Landings Drive, still has its booths and its overhead structure. Since July 13, 2026, a Cone & Graham, Inc. crew has been taking them apart on a $1.2 million Florida Department of Transportation contract. FDOT estimates completion in fall 2026. This week's daytime lane closures on the Pinellas Bayway run Monday, October 5 through Friday, October 9, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. That makes tomorrow the last day of the current closure window.
FDOT calls the job a conversion "to an all electronic tolling configuration." For anyone on Isla Del Sol, payment went electronic three years ago. What comes down this fall is the building. The toll itself stays as it is, and it has been the same since 2023.
The Cash Lane Closed in September 2023
The Bayway went cashless in stages. Florida's Turnpike Enterprise switched the West Plaza to electronic toll collection in 2021. In a 2023 release, it said the change "resulted in less congestion and traffic noise in the area." Cash ended at the East and South plazas on September 22, 2023. The release lists that date twice, once with the year 2023 in its headline and once with 2022 in the body. The release itself is dated September 22, 2023.
Since then, the Bayway has accepted these transponders: SunPass, E-Pass, E-ZPass, LeeWay, NC Quick Pass, Peach Pass, K-TAG, PIKEPASS and Toll Tag. Drivers without one pay through Toll-By-Plate. None of that changes when the booths go. Bay News 9 reported in August that "drivers will still pay to use the Bayway, but tolls will continue to be collected electronically."
Since 2023, the booths have mostly stood in the way. Cars slow down for a structure that no longer handles money. FDOT describes the goal as "eliminating the need for vehicles to slow or stop at toll collection points." Kris Carson of FDOT put it more plainly to Bay News 9:
"If we can get that toll booth, that big gantry out of there, make it more electronic, people can get through there easier."
What Each Crossing Costs
The Bayway rates sit in Florida's Turnpike's April 2026 West Central Florida toll schedule. These are the two-axle rates it lists for the Bayway system:
| Plaza | Road | SunPass or transponder | Toll-By-Plate |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Plaza, Pinellas Bayway I | SR 682 | $0.58 | $1.08 |
| West Plaza, Pinellas Bayway II | SR 682 | $0.58 | $1.08 |
| South Plaza, Pinellas Bayway IV | SR 679 | $0.28 | $0.81 |
At the SR 682 plazas, Toll-By-Plate costs half a dollar more per crossing than a transponder. The 2023 release worked that out to a $1.00 round-trip difference at the East Plaza and $1.04 at the South Plaza. Toll-By-Plate also adds a $2.50 administrative charge to each monthly invoice.
The process is mechanical. When a camera finds no active transponder, it photographs the plate, converts the crossing to Toll-By-Plate and mails an invoice to the vehicle's registered owner. Invoices can be paid online at SunPass.com or by mail. If an invoice goes unpaid, Florida's Turnpike describes a second invoice, followed by possible collection fees, a registration stop or a citation. Visitors driving in from the mainland without a transponder have been on that process since 2023, and removing the booths doesn't change it.
Two Annual Passes on Two Different Calendars
The Bayway's two annual passes affect daily driving more than the per-crossing rates do. They renew on different dates, they cover different plazas, and you buy them in different ways. SunPass lists both:
- Resident Pass, $15 a year. Valid only at the East Plaza, listed as Plaza #1. Requires proof of residency, allows up to five passes, and expires June 30 no matter when it was bought. SunPass says it "must be purchased in person at the Pinellas Bayway Administration Building located at the East Plaza."
- Commuter Pass, $50 a year. Valid at all three Bayway plazas for two-axle vehicles, open to all motorists, and expires September 30 no matter when it was bought. It can be added online when you activate or update a SunPass account, bought in person at the same administration building, or ordered by phone at 1-888-865-5352.
The Turnpike schedule adds that the Commuter Pass is a SunPass mini that must be fixed to the windshield. It's valid for one vehicle, and the pass holder must be that vehicle's registered owner.
The dates matter this month. The Commuter Pass year ended September 30, so the 2026–27 cycle started October 1 and is a week old. The Resident Pass year runs until June 30, 2027.
The arithmetic at the published rates works like this. The $15 Resident Pass equals about 26 crossings of the East Plaza at the $0.58 SunPass rate. The $50 Commuter Pass equals about 86 crossings of an SR 682 plaza at that rate, or about 43 round trips through a single plaza. A household's own driving patterns decide which numbers apply. The passes have been around for years. What has changed is the building where one of them is sold.
The Unannounced Part Is an Office
Under the current rules, the Resident Pass can only be bought at the Pinellas Bayway Administration Building at the East Plaza. SunPass lists the Pinellas Bayway walk-in center at 4501 54th Avenue S. It's open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 2023 release gives the same address for the Pinellas Bayway SunPass Customer Service Center, where drivers can buy a transponder.
The current FDOT project page, the August Bay News 9 report and the current SunPass pages don't answer several questions:
- Whether the administration building and walk-in center will stay open, move or close once the plaza conversion is done. The FDOT project description covers the tolling setup and says nothing about the building.
- Whether the in-person requirement for the Resident Pass will change, or whether an online option is coming. SunPass still says in person only.
- Which neighborhoods count as resident for the pass, and what proof is accepted. The official pages require proof of residency without listing eligible areas or documents.
- When the new configuration goes live. FDOT's estimate is still "Fall 2026." Despite its headline, the Bay News 9 story said removal was planned and didn't report it as finished.
When cash ended in 2023, the Turnpike's release said the Resident and Commuter Pass programs "will not be affected by this implementation." No similar statement about this year's work turned up in the sources reviewed. The FDOT project page offers email alerts for the project and lists a public information contact at 727-575-8334. Those are the most direct channels for updates as the work finishes.
What the Businesses on the Bayway Hope Changes
Cedric Robinson owns The Deck Bar and Grill on the Pinellas Bayway. He told Bay News 9 that tolls can affect who drives out this way at all:
"Tolls always kind of make people a little apprehensive about going to certain places."
He hopes that removing the booths will mean fewer slowdowns and possibly more drivers stopping at businesses along the road. "So you don't have that slow down, that stop," he said.
His point fits the rest of the record. Drivers will still pay the same amounts and use the same transponders, and the cash lanes are already gone. What changes is the stretch of road where every car has to slow down. For Isla Del Sol, the last thing to settle is whether a $15 pass can still be bought at a counter on 54th Avenue S once the booths are gone.
The Bayway is the island's link to everything on the mainland, so access is part of how a home here fits a daily routine. If you'd like to talk through how roads, toll costs and island living factor into a move on or off Isla Del Sol, Aaron Hoffman is glad to help. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
