LeeWay to waive administrative fees charged to some SunPass customers
Tolls due must still be paid
LeeWay to waive administrative fees charged to some SunPass customers because of technological issue
Tolls due must still be paid
LeeWay, the toll operations for Lee County Department of Transportation, is waiving the administrative fees for some SunPass transponder customers who have recently received mail from LeeWay related to past-due tolls from May, June and July. Some notices may yet arrive by mail.
A technical glitch occurred during a state-and-nationwide system upgrade with a third-party vendor that affected some LeeWay and SunPass customers. The glitch did not impact E-Pass or E-ZPass customers.
This has resulted in some SunPass customers receiving a LeeWay Toll Due Notice via U.S. Postal Service. The Toll Due Notice indicates the motorist owes the $2 toll along with a $3 administrative fee. The system upgrades prevented LeeWay from deducting the toll due from the customer’s existing SunPass account, per the standard procedure with SunPass.
LeeWay is removing the administrative processing fee from existing SunPass customers with accounts in good standing, but the toll remains due and must be paid by the customer. Please note, the removal of the admin fee may not be reflected online until Monday, Oct. 6, but the fee indeed will be removed.
What to do:
Lee County Government understands this results in frustration and confusion. Here is what impacted motorists can do:
Any SunPass customer who receives a LeeWay Toll Due Notice still needs to pay the LeeWay toll. That can be done online at www.leegov.com/tolls. You do not need to create a LeeWay account. You can use the quick-pay option (pay-by-plate) on the website. When you are on the site, you may still see the $3 administration fee. It will for sure be waived, but please note, this may not be reflected on the online toll bill until Monday, Oct. 6.
SunPass customers who have already paid the administrative fee are able to receive a refund by calling the LeeWay Customer Service Center at 239-533-9297 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Or they can visit the center at 1366 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33907. Lobby hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Background:
The system upgrade occurred last spring with many tolling entities statewide and nationwide. It has come to the county’s attention that some motorists with SunPass transponders who used one of the three county toll bridges in May, June or July 2025 and whose SunPass transponders didn’t read in the toll lane may have been affected by the technology glitch.
The county worked with SunPass to resolve the issue so that the motorists’ SunPass accounts could simply be charged electronically retroactively. However, that was not possible in all cases, resulting in an estimated 24,000 SunPass customers being mailed LeeWay Toll Due Notices.
Although the county is waiving the automatically charged $3 admin fee, the SunPass customers who receive notice of past-due tolls will have to pay LeeWay for the toll because the SunPass account was not previously charged due to the technical issue.
Lee County appreciates motorists’ patience as this is worked through. The system is currently functioning properly.
Discount renewal programs
Customers can expect to hear about LeeWay frequently during the next month. Annual and six-month LeeWay discount programs for the Cape Coral, Midpoint or Sanibel toll bridges expire at midnight Oct. 31. LeeWay annual programs are valid from Nov.1 through Oct. 31, and semi-annual discount programs are valid from May 1 through Oct. 31.
Customers who wish to renew for the annual or six-month programs should look for a discount program renewal form or continuous renewal reminder postcard in the mail. Customers who are signed up for continuous renewal will automatically have their credit card on file charged mid-October for the cost of the discount program(s).
With online customer access to a LeeWay account, customers can renew discount programs through the web. Customers without online access can contact the LeeWay Service Center for a temporary password and instructions. For more information, visit www.LeeWayInfo.com or call 239-533-9297.
Toll bridge surveys
Customers also are reminded they may be contacted during October with specific information about a survey for those who use county toll facilities.
The survey is designed to help identify customer travel patterns on the toll bridges. The survey is a necessary step in the Cape Coral Bridge Replacement Project. Specifically, the survey is a requirement for an Investment Grade Traffic and Revenue Study that is being conducted to assist with future potential financing of the construction project.
A sampling of LeeWay customers will be given a password to access the survey, which a consultant is conducting on behalf of the county. Lee County will reach out to LeeWay customers through e-mail, mailings and in-person contact at the LeeWay Service Center. The county’s goal is to receive a minimum of 1,000 valid surveys from motorists by Oct. 17.
Complete information about the Cape Coral Bridge Project can be found at https://capecoralbridgeproject.com/.