How many times a year do you cross the Shepard Broad Causeway? Until this fall, a resident pass only made sense if the answer was very large. Now it makes sense at a far smaller number. The Town of Bay Harbor Islands cut the price of the resident plan and raised the per-crossing toll within about two months of each other. Approval for the pass can take up to 25 business days, and Dec. 1 is closer than that clock suggests.
Two changes, posted together
The Town announced both changes in one news flash, Important Updates to Shepard Broad Causeway Toll Information, posted Sept. 29, 2026 and last updated Oct. 2. Starting Oct. 1, 2026, Bay Harbor Islands residents can get a one-year pass plan for $200 with proof of current residency. According to the Sept. 10, 2026 Town Council agenda, the resident Bay Pass Plan was previously $350 a year. Item 18 on that agenda was a discussion and possible action to lower it to $200.
The same news flash sets new toll rates for every axle class starting Dec. 1, 2026. The Town's current rate sheet, dated "As of October 1, 2024," shows what drivers pay until then.
| Vehicle class | SunPass now | SunPass from Dec. 1, 2026 | Toll-by-Plate now | Toll-by-Plate from Dec. 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 axles | $2.00 | $3.25 | $3.25 | $6.50 |
| 3 axles | $9.00 | $10.25 | $11.75 | $15.00 |
| 4 axles | $16.00 | $17.25 | $20.25 | $23.50 |
| 5 axles | $23.00 | $24.25 | $28.75 | $32.00 |
| Each axle beyond 5 | +$7.00 | +$7.00 | +$8.50 | +$8.50 |
The everyday car takes the biggest hit in this table. Larger vehicles go up $1.25 per crossing on SunPass. A two-axle car goes from $2.00 to $3.25, an increase of more than 60 percent. On Toll-by-Plate, a two-axle vehicle's rate doubles.
The break-even number fell by about two-thirds
A flat-rate plan pays off once the crossings it covers would have cost more than the plan. Here's how that threshold looks for a two-axle car on SunPass:
- The old resident price at today's rate: $350 ÷ $2.00 = 175 crossings a year.
- The new resident price at today's rate: $200 ÷ $2.00 = 100 crossings a year.
- The new resident price at the Dec. 1 rate: $200 ÷ $3.25 = about 62 crossings a year.
About 62 crossings a year averages out to a little more than one a week. Under the old pricing it took 175. The two changes push in the same direction. The pass got cheaper, and each crossing it replaces got more expensive. A resident who used to cross the bridge a few times a month and treated the pass as something for daily commuters is looking at a very different calculation from Dec. 1.
The Town also sells pass plans to people who don't live in Bay Harbor Islands, at $350 for 365 days or $225 for six months. The $200 resident price works out to $150 less than the non-resident annual plan.
What the plan covers, and what it doesn't
The Town describes the Shepard Broad Causeway SunPass Toll Plan as "a flat-rate, pre-paid subscription program that allows a valid plan holder to pass through the Broad Causeway toll." The resident plan is limited to two-axle, non-commercial vehicles. On the 2026-2027 Pass Plan application, each plan covers one transponder in one vehicle.
The application's fine print says the license plate isn't part of the deal. The registered SunPass transponder is "the sole means by which you may pass through the toll without being charged." If the transponder doesn't read as you go through, the resulting image toll or toll-by-plate charge "is yours to pay, regardless of the reason." Applicants have to acknowledge that plates aren't covered by the plan. From Dec. 1, the two-axle Toll-by-Plate rate is $6.50, so a transponder that's badly mounted or out of power costs more per crossing than it did before.
The paperwork has to match exactly
The resident steps are short. Answer "YES" to the "I am a resident" question. Upload three documents that show the same address: a driver's license, a vehicle registration and a utility bill. Once you're approved, the Town emails you a payment link. The application adds more conditions. The license and registration must both be from Florida, rental cars aren't eligible, and any tolls owed to any toll agency must be paid in full before you apply.
The Town says application data goes electronically to SunPass for verification. An incomplete application is rejected and has to be submitted again; in the application's words, "We cannot go back and correct your errors." The application lists these reasons for rejection:
- Information that doesn't match the SunPass account, such as the account holder's name or address.
- Missing documents or information.
- A vehicle plate that isn't registered to the same SunPass account as the transponder.
- A vehicle not owned by you or your legal spouse, including rentals.
- An invalid or incomplete SunPass account number, transponder number or plate number.
- An out-of-state or expired license or vehicle registration.
- Trying to apply for two pass plans with one license plate.
- A negative balance more than once in the last 90 days.
- A balance under $25 without auto-replenishment turned on.
- Outstanding toll charges of any kind, or toll charges in collections.
The transponder number on the form needs all 13 digits printed on the transponder, but the SunPass account shows only 12. The form also asks for your SunPass account number separately from the transponder number.
The clock is the real constraint
According to the application, approval "may be as much as 25-business days, depending on the number of applications in the queue ahead of yours," and expedited processing isn't offered. As of this post's publication on Thursday, Oct. 22, counting weekdays only puts 25 business days in Thanksgiving week. Any holiday closures would push that later. An application filed today could still be in the queue on Dec. 1. One that gets rejected over a mismatched address or a 12-digit transponder number goes back to the end of the line.
Any crossing made before approval and payment is billed at the regular rate. Starting Dec. 1, that means $3.25 per crossing on SunPass.
Renewals run on the same timeline. The Town asks plan holders to apply for renewal at least 25 business days before the plan expires so coverage doesn't lapse. A plan that starts this fall will need its renewal filed next fall, well ahead of the anniversary date.
Where the bridge itself stands
The Town's announcement doesn't give a reason for the new rates. It does come as the replacement bridge moves forward. Item 17 on the same Sept. 10 agenda that listed the resident price cut asked the Council to approve final rankings of the firms that answered the Town's request for qualifications. It also asked for authorization to negotiate a design fee with the top-ranked consultant for the replacement of the Shepard Broad Causeway bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.
Earlier coverage shows how big that project is, though the figures date from 2024 and 2025 and may have changed. In June 2025, Florida Politics reported that the state budget conference had cleared $1 million for the replacement. It cited a Town Manager letter estimating the project at $257.1 million. The outlet reported annual toll revenue of about $12 million, expected to rise to $18 million, and said the Town Council had earmarked $16 million plus a $6 million yearly toll-revenue supplement for seven years toward planning and construction. A year before that, in June 2024, Biscayne Times reported the Town's preference for a 65-foot fixed bridge, estimated at the time at $247.4 million compared with $440.9 million for a movable design. It also reported a projected construction start of 2028 and a ribbon cutting in 2031. The same article cited a January 2024 FDOT inspection and said the existing bridge remained safe to use.
Those timelines are projections. The current step on the public record is choosing a design consultant.
This post is general information about the Town's published toll rules, not legal or financial advice. Check the Town's application page and your own SunPass account details before you apply.
At Silverleaf Realty Group, we track costs like the Broad Causeway toll because they show up in the real monthly budget of owning in Bay Harbor Islands. If you're weighing what this change means for your property or a future move, Contact Us and we'll go through the numbers with you.
