TAMPA — If your car gets towed from a crash scene, after an arrest or out of a private parking lot in Hillsborough County, getting it back is going to cost more.
Hillsborough County commissioners voted 7-0 Wednesday to move forward with higher county-regulated towing rates, after towing companies argued that fuel, labor, insurance and equipment costs have made the current caps hard to live with, ABC Action News reported.
The new prices aren't in effect yet. The vote directs the county attorney's office to come back with a resolution that sets the updated rates, and that resolution has to return to the board before anything changes.
What was on the table
As TBO reported ahead of the meeting, the towing industry asked to raise the Class A hookup fee, which covers most cars, SUVs and pickups, from $160 to $185, mileage from $6 to $7 a mile, and daily storage from $35 to $40, with similar bumps for heavier vehicles and new set rates for specialty recovery work.
The proposal moving forward also includes a conditional $25 fuel surcharge meant to help offset costs when diesel prices run high. Under the industry's request, it would kick in only when the federal diesel price for the Lower Atlantic region tops $4 a gallon. The final dollar amounts will be spelled out in the resolution the county attorney brings back.
The rates were last adjusted in 2023. County staff compared them with rates in other Florida counties and also reviewed specialized towing for large commercial vehicles, buses, boats and major crash scenes.
The industry's case
Towing operators spent much of the meeting making their pitch. Justin Heller, a regional chair for the Professional Wrecker Operators of Florida and vice president of a local towing company, said costs have climbed more than 40% over the past six years.
“A tow truck that cost approximately $72,000 in 2019 is approximately $140,000 now,” Heller told commissioners. He argued the industry's expenses have outpaced the roughly 15% increase the county was weighing and pushed for a bigger adjustment.
“Everybody who stopped at the gas pump recently knows what we face,” operator Anthony Huffman said. “Our industry is really suffering at this point.”
Mike McArthur, director of operations for Stepp's Towing in Tampa, told the station that diesel is one of the biggest costs because trucks often idle for long stretches while clearing crashes and loading vehicles. The $25 surcharge “It'll put a very small dent into what we actually spend on,” he said, “but at least it's something.”
The balance commissioners say they're after
Commissioners acknowledged that most county-regulated tows are non-consensual, meaning the driver doesn't get a say. Commissioner Christine Miller, who made the motion, said that shaped the review.
“My goal from the beginning has been to find that balance, a fair rate for the industry while maintaining appropriate protections for the public,” Miller said.
Who this affects
The county caps apply mainly to two kinds of tows:
- Police-ordered tows, such as clearing a wreck or removing a car after an arrest or DUI stop.
- Trespass tows, when a vehicle is hauled off private property without the owner's consent.
If you break down and call a tow company yourself, that company sets its own price, and the county caps don't apply.
What's next
The rate resolution will come back to the commission for a final vote at a future meeting. Agendas are posted on the county's agendas, recaps and minutes page. TBO will update this story when the new rates are set.