Mia To Offer Sunpass Payment To Customers

Written by Lou Ortiz on March 6, 2008

By Lou Ortiz
SunPass is coming to Miami International Airport.

Airport customers who use the parking facilities there will soon be able to use their SunPass transponder device to pay garage fees.

The SunPass system could be in place at the airport this summer, said Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesman Greg Chin. "It’s projected for this summer," he said.

The county commission Tuesday approved a five-year agreement with the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, which oversees the Sunpass program under the state’s Department of Transportation, to provide the service at the airport.

In a survey of 2,122 customers conducted by Miami-Dade at the airport, 58.3% "indicated that they either own or would use SunPass if it were available," according to county documents.

"Under the agreement, a passenger operating a motor vehicle will be able to pay the parking fee by using the SunPass transponder," Assistant County Attorney Ysela Llort told commissioners in a memo.

"The amount of the parking charges will promptly be deducted from the deposit account of the passenger," she said.

But there will be a fee for using SunPass at the airport. The state’s Turnpike Enterprise will get 0.065% of each transaction, documents show.

For example, Ms. Lort said, "for a typical daily parking charge of $14, the processing fee will be 9 cents."

The cost to the county’s Aviation Department to the install the software needed for the program is estimated at $700,000, with annually operating costs thereafter of about $325,333, documents show.

"Such initial costs and the subsequent operating costs will not have a material impact on the level of landing fees payable by the airlines during the period of the agreement," Ms. Llort said.

The idea for the program was broached by Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz last year.

The contract with the state calls for one-year annual renewals after the first five years. Advertisement