Treasure Island Florida City Commissioner Ed Gayton

Gulf Beach News

Ed's User Fee

Is a toll bridge by any other name still a toll bridge? Well, Treasure Island residents are about to find out.

Faced with a budget shortfall mostly because our city Commissioners have ignored the fact that improperly directed funds from bridge toll revenues would no longer be available to keep the City’s budget afloat once the new bridge opened, Commissioner Ed Gayton is laying the ground work for a yearly “user fee” to be charged to all Treasure Island residents.

That’s right, that bridge that you and I already paid for with our federal tax dollars is now going to cost us even more money and if that’s not bad enough, we don’t have a choice.

During a recent budget meeting, Gayton suggested that every resident of Treasure Island be required to pay a $25.00 bridge user fee. Not only did Gayton make this ridiculous statement, he also claimed that Treasure Island residents would be happy to pay $25.00 a year for the right to use the bridge whether they use it or not.

Likening the user fee to buying a formerly optional bridge pass, Gayton claimed his plan would bring in much needed monies to the City. Gayton however, did not explain why a four year old child would be required to pay a bridge “user fee” or an elderly resident who no longer drives.

With just a little common sense, one can come up with other problems that would plague Gayton’s plan like how do you know who paid the user fee? Does the City issue passes and then spend thousands on “User Fee Booths” or do City residents have to use a special lane and be stopped every time they cross the bridge to have their ‘User Fee” status checked while non residents zoom across the bridge unfettered?

Or, what about someone like me who would pay $25.00 a year but only use the bridge once or twice a week while a non resident who works on Treasure Island crosses the bridge ten times a week pays nothing?

I’ll tell you what Ed. I pay a “user fee” the day you start using some common sense.