The doubling of tolls on the Rickenbacker Causeway is a point of discontent for the community, particularly for students who drive the road daily for school, work, and recreational activities. Many students, Key Biscayne residents, and visitors are irritated with this new increase, which adds to the already high cost of living that Key Biscayne is known for. 

Freshman Chloe Raynaud is a student who commutes on the Causeway daily. “I use the Causeway for school twice a day all week, going to school and back, and sometimes to hang out in Key Biscayne on the weekends,” she states. However, the toll increase has already begun to impact her family’s budget. “It has affected my parents greatly. They use the Rickenbacker Causeway every day to take me either to school, the beach, or my friends’ houses, and they are already annoyed about the amount they spend every day just to enter.” Although she cannot alter her daily routine, Raynaud feels that the new charges are not reasonable, particularly for those who cross the Causeway daily. “There are people who must drive over the Rickenbacker Causeway every day to and from work, school, etc.” She adds that if daily users are paying that amount every day, the accumulated expense will eventually do damage, compounding the high daily costs of living in a prominent city like Miami. 

Junior Chloe Crisan, who drives over the Causeway to school, thinks that while the toll increase hasn’t changed her daily life, it creates an unwelcome expense. “The toll increase doesn’t affect me as much in my everyday life because my parents don’t make it a cause for concern,” she states. Crisan believes, however, that for daily Causeway users, the raised toll becomes an extra burden. “If you drive across the Rickenbacker Causeway every day, which probably applies to lots of students in the Maritime program at MAST, it’s basically an expense that could have been contributed to another necessity,” she says, highlighting her concern over how expenses can build up so quickly. 

Freshman Belen Lopez-Marti Cuevas concurs. “The Rickenbacker Causeway is the only way into Key Biscayne, and people who work, go to school, or see friends and family have to pay this toll over something they cannot control,” she says. Lopez-Marti commute not only feels like a burden, but also an unjustifiable cost. “It hasn’t affected my routine as much because I still use it the same amount of times,” she adds, but she still thinks the price increase is unjust. 

The sentiment of all three students is the same: the expense hike is placing an excessive strain on families who rely on the Causeway for a daily commute. Even though some students themselves may not feel the pinch, for many families, the costs are adding up quickly. People are stuck paying this toll on something they can’t control, as Lopez,-Marti briefly mentioned, speaking for many commuters with no other options. 

Since the public must adjust to the higher cost, these student comments indicate a larger problem: although the toll raise may be a slight adjustment for some, it has real and significant impacts on regular commuters. For those who have no alternative, as the Rickenbacker Causeway is the only way into Key Biscayne, the toll raise is not just a price increase—it’s an additional financial burden that they must carry.