The Town of Bay Harbor Islands announced two causeway changes in a single notice posted September 29. On October 1, 2026, residents became eligible for a one-year Shepard Broad Causeway toll plan at a flat $200. On December 1, 2026, the per-crossing toll goes up. The SunPass rate for a standard car rises from $2.00 to $3.25. The Toll-By-Plate rate doubles from $3.25 to $6.50.
Taken together, the two changes put a ceiling on what a resident with a registered transponder pays, whatever the toll does. The cost lands on everyone else crossing the bay to reach the island. That includes the friend coming over for dinner, the relative visiting for the holidays and the delivery truck pulling up on Kane Concourse.
The Broad Causeway runs from Northeast 123rd Street in North Miami, becomes Kane Concourse inside Bay Harbor Islands, and ends at 96th Street on the Surfside and Bal Harbour line. For anyone living on either island, it is the direct route to the mainland. That makes these two announcements some of the most practical town news of the fall.
What the Rate Card Looks Like on December 1
The town's current published schedule took effect October 1, 2024. The new rates were approved for every axle class and are listed in the town's September 29 notice on causeway toll updates.
| Vehicle | SunPass now | SunPass from Dec. 1 | Toll-By-Plate now | Toll-By-Plate from Dec. 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 SunPass increase is the same $1.25 for every class from two to five axles. On the plate side, the two-axle rate doubles and the three-, four- and five-axle rates each rise by $3.25. A standard car without a transponder will pay twice what a SunPass car pays, the same ratio as the new SunPass rate to the old plate rate. The SunPass rate for a car rises by about 63 percent. The plate rate rises by 100 percent.
The $200 Pass, Worked Out
The resident plan is a flat-rate, prepaid subscription. Plan holders pass through the toll without being charged per crossing. It covers two-axle, non-commercial vehicles only. Non-residents can still buy a plan, but it costs $350 for 365 days or $225 for six months.
The break-even point depends on which toll the pass replaces:
- At today's $2.00 SunPass rate, $200 covers 100 billed crossings.
- At the December 1 rate of $3.25, the pass starts saving money at the 62nd billed crossing, a little more than one a week over a year.
- For a non-resident on the $350 plan, the same $3.25 rate puts break-even at 108 billed crossings.
A pass bought this month will run partly under the old rate and mostly under the new one, so the real break-even point falls between those first two figures. The math depends on how many billed crossings a household actually makes. A car that crosses the bay most workdays reaches 62 well before spring. A car that rarely leaves the island may not reach it at all.
Applying takes three documents with matching addresses: a driver's license, a vehicle registration and a utility bill. Applicants answer "yes" to the resident question on the 2026–2027 pass plan application. Once approved, they get a payment link by email.
The Transponder Is the Pass
The plan is tied to a specific SunPass transponder. It is not tied to a license plate, and the town's terms are blunt about it:
"The SunPass transponder registered to your pass plan is the sole means by which you may pass through the toll without being charged. Should a transponder signal not be read for your vehicle as you pass through the toll, the resulting image toll (ITOL or VTOL) or toll-by-plate charge is yours to pay, regardless of the reason."
That passage comes from the town's pass plan application. The same page adds that the plan "does not allow for no-cost trips using your license plate."
Each plan covers one transponder in one vehicle. A two-car household would need a plan for each car to cap both. After December 1, a missed read costs $6.50 instead of $3.25. The terms also set the refund value of a plan as the amount paid minus any crossings already exempted under that transponder.
Who Ends Up Paying $6.50
The resident plan caps one group of drivers. Anyone else entering Bay Harbor Islands by the Broad Causeway pays the new per-crossing rates.
- A visitor's car with no SunPass is billed by plate, so the base rate goes from $3.25 to $6.50.
- A visitor's car with SunPass goes from $2.00 to $3.25.
- Regular commuters from off the island, such as people who work on Kane Concourse or East and West Bay Harbor Drive, can buy the non-resident plan at $350 a year, or keep paying per crossing.
- Three-axle and larger vehicles, like many moving and service trucks, are excluded from the resident plan. After December 1, they pay $10.25 per crossing by SunPass for three axles and $24.25 for five, plus $7.00 for each axle beyond five.
For a household planning a holiday gathering, this matters in a small but real way. A guest without SunPass will pay twice what they paid last December to cross onto the island.
Where Causeway Money Is Already Committed
The town's December 1 notice does not say why rates are rising. The town has, however, been clear about the scale of what toll revenue is helping to fund.
At a November 4, 2024 Town Council meeting, the agenda included a resolution sponsored by Mayor Joshua D. Fuller setting aside funding of up to $129 million for designing and building a replacement Broad Causeway Bridge. The council agenda packet states that the bridge "continues to deteriorate and needs to be replaced." It puts the total project cost at $257,101,605.16, with a local match of $128,550,802.58 if federal grant funding came through. The packet details how that match would be covered. The town would set aside $16 million from existing toll revenue and pre-authorize a $6 million supplement each year for seven fiscal years. It also notes that the Florida Department of Transportation had told the town it was eligible for a $50 million loan at 1 percent.
The design question has since been settled. On October 10, 2025, FDOT and the U.S. Coast Guard granted Location and Design Concept Acceptance for the project, according to the FDOT public notice. The approved concept is a 65-foot high-level fixed bridge on a southern alignment. It has four 11-foot lanes, two in each direction, and a 14-foot shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists on the north side. The town's September 10, 2026 council agenda included final rankings for a bridge design consultant and negotiation of a design fee. The agenda itself does not show the outcome.
That last item matters for the toll. The bridge carrying traffic today is the one the council's own documents describe as deteriorating. Toll revenue has been earmarked toward replacing it, and a confirmed construction timeline has not been published.
Seven Weeks at the Old Rate
Everything on the town's October calendar falls before December 1. Guests driving in for these events will still cross at $2.00 by SunPass or $3.25 by plate:
- Coffee with a Cop, Tuesday, October 13, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., at Coffee Break, 1166 Kane Concourse. Bay Harbor Islands Police host it as a coffee break with the town's officers.
- Bay Harbor Live + Artisan Market, featuring LeNard Rutledge, Saturday, October 24, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at 95th Street Park, 1185 95th Street.
- Spooky Parade, Friday, October 30, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., at 95th Street Park.
Coffee with a Cop is on Kane Concourse, the causeway's own street. For more on what fills a week here, our guide to everyday life in Bay Harbor Islands covers the island's daily routines. The Bay Harbor neighborhood page has the broader picture.
Thinking about selling on the island while the toll changes and the bridge project heads toward its next phase? Kendra Campbell Borja follows Bay Harbor Islands council agendas and town notices as closely as the listings. She can explain how the causeway figures into your home's story for buyers. Schedule your free seller consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
