Private Contractor Detains Drivers on Florida Turnpike if They Pay a Toll with a $50 or $100 Bill
March 7th, 2011I wonder if anyone has ever called the police, using a mobile phone, after being illegally detained as described below?
Even by Florida standards, this is a keeper.
Via: Courthouse News Service:
A federal class action claims Florida and a private contractor detain drivers on the Florida Turnpike if they pay a toll with a $50 or $100 bill, and won’t let them go until they cough up personal information. The class claims the detentions are dangerous and unconstitutional, and that sometimes drivers and passengers are detained and interrogated for paying tolls with bills as small as $5.
The class action in Tampa also names collections company Faneuil as a defendant. Florida hired Faneuil to provide toll collectors and supervisors on its toll roads.
Lead plaintiff Joel Chandler claims the state and Faneuil violate the Constitution by authorizing toll collectors, at their discretion, to imprison motorists and their passengers and hold them until they divulge personal information, some of which is written up on “Bill Detection Reports.”
…
“The personal information recorded by toll collectors includes, but is not limited to the vehicle make, model, color, tag number and state of issuance. Other information such as the vehicle occupants’ race, gender, and relative age has also been recorded.” The class adds: “Toll collectors have required motorists to provide additional personal information, including drivers license information in exchange for their release.”
Toll collectors trapped motorists at toll booths by holding the barrier down, even though the drivers had enough money to pay the toll.
