TAMPA, Fla. (970 WFLA) - If you've received an expressway authority bill in the mail for past tolls, it might say "first notice." But the charges may actually date back several years.
That's because the Hillsborough Expressway Authority, or THEA, has hired a new collection agency to recover back bills. ETAN industries is sending out notices to drivers, but it's causing confusion among motorists who thought they were caught up.
Bryn Wright told News Channel 8 she recently received two toll collection notices, informing her she owed hundreds of dollars for tolls on the Selmon Expressway dating back to May 2013.
“Something from 2013, here we are now it’s 2017. That’s almost four years ago and they’re just now notifying me that I owe them something?” Wright exclaimed.
“I’m not going to pay it again,” said Wright.
Sue Chrzan of THEA admits there is confusion.
Customers should have received invoices and notices from the old collection company. The notices they are now receiving are not really “first notices” from the new collection company.
"I think we misnamed that and I’m taking that back to our toll operations people to see if we can fix that, so when we send out more notices,” she said.
Customers can get all of their toll records by calling (877) 258-5205, asking for a supervisor and requesting details.
“We have all of the tolls, we have all of the pictures, and we have all of the payments,” Chrzan said.
photo credit: WFLA-TV