Two brothers are suing the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) alleging that toll collectors "unlawfully detained motorists and passengers" when they paid with big bills.
 
According to news reports, Lakeland (FL) resident Joel Chandler started noticing that toll collectors made him wait as they filled out a form with the make, model and tag number of his car when he paid with larger bills.  The lawsuit states toll booth operators throughout Florida over the past four years collected personal information about motorists paying with $20, $50 and $100 bills before they could leave.  In some cases, the procedure was done for bills as low as $5, according to the lawsuit.
 
After months of requesting public records and asking questions, Chandler and his brother, Robert, claim they've uncovered a policy that ostensibly was in place to help investigate instances of counterfeit currency but violated constitutional rights.  The Chandler brothers claim their goal in filing the lawsuit is to have a federal judge declare the policy unconstitutional so it can never be reinstated.
 
"It is unconstitutional, and it is illegal to detain somebody against their will without lawful authority," said Joel Chandler. "What they are doing is something that even police officers don't have the authority to do."
 
The Chandlers say they weren't eager to file the lawsuit, but FDOT officials were evasive and uncooperative for months. Joel Chandler, however, is no stranger to lawsuits, having previously sued the Polk County School District and Lakeland Police Department in unrelated cases.  He said he has also pursued lawsuits against other public agencies throughout the state.
 
"I genuinely believe that government works best when it is transparent," said Chandler, who works as a consultant for office equipment dealers.
 
The Florida Attorney General's Office is representing the FDOT officials named in the lawsuit. Jennifer Krell, an agency spokeswoman, wouldn't comment on the pending litigation.  The motions state the practice was suspended on July 22, 2010, and there is no indication that it will be reinstated.
 
—Source:  NewsChief.com (Winter Haven, FL)