Gray Rohrer
An ongoing fight between Orlando International Airport and transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft over fees charged to the companies for picking up passengers has tumbled into the Senate.
A bill (SB 7076) to require airports and seaports to charge TNCs the same fees as they charge to taxicab companies passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee. But two Democrats who voted for it, Sens. Bobby Powell of West Palm Beach and Jason Pizzo of Miami, questioned why the state should get involved in the dispute.
“People can shake their head but when you come up to Tallahassee, and because you can give a campaign donation to a couple of people and erase meetings of the mind, that’s not a business-friendly environment. That’s socialism,” Pizzo said.
Bill sponsor Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican, said the bill only provides fairness for the TNCs, who are charged at the same rate as taxicab companies at every other airport in the state.
“What this bill does is creates a parity with taxis. It’s not socialism, it’s actually free-market,” Ingoglia said. “It’s a way to make sure everyone is on a level playing field.”
Ingoglia said Uber and Lyft are currently being charged rates akin to limousines, giving taxis an inherent advantage. The higher rate is not in keeping with the “spirit” of a law passed by the Legislature in 2017 laying the groundwork for the new tech companies to operate legally, he said.
Pizzo noted that the TNCs have been paying the higher rates for seven years, and have entered into deals with the airport, which was able to charge more because it is one of the busiest airports in the country.
The bill now heads to the Senate floor, but there is no House version of the measure, so it’s unclear if it will pass in the last two weeks of the Regular Session.
