Florida is the state with the most toll roads. It is also the state with the most problematic payment system for car rental customers.
The main system used in Florida is the SunPass. Unfortunately, the system has two types of transponders — one that you may be more familiar with that can be turned off and one that is a sticker stuck on the windshield of the car that can neither be removed nor turned off.
What makes this confusing and a nightmare for renters is the fact that in parts of the state, particularly in the Orlando area, there are toll booths that accept cash payments. But if you are in a car that has a sticker-type transponder (used by almost all of the low-cost car rental companies), then it will register even if you pay the toll in cash. This means that the rental company will charge you exorbitant fees afterward if you didn't pay for their toll package.
SunPass has introduced the
Visitor Toll Pass, a free temporary pass that you can pick up at Orlando International Airport. This will work well for customers that rent cars from companies that have transponders that are either removable or able to be switched. For those companies that use the sticker-type transponder, the Visitor Toll Pass is still of no use — you will be forced to either pay for the rental company's toll package or avoid toll roads altogether (which is hard to do, as even when leaving the airport your best route to almost anywhere is a toll road).
In Miami, the toll roads are strictly electronic, so this above scenario at least doesn't happen. But many rental companies use the fact that you need a transponder as a reason to charge hefty prices for toll packages — some include unlimited tolls and some include just the use of the transponder.
So keep in mind the toll situation when booking your rental car — a cheap rate may not be as cheap once you add in the toll package that you will have to pay for.