TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Drivers whose vehicles are towed at law enforcement's direction or removed from private property will soon face higher towing fees in Hillsborough County.
On Wednesday, county commissioners voted 7-0 to move forward with a proposal updating county-regulated towing rates after towing companies argued that rising fuel, labor, insurance and equipment costs have made it increasingly difficult to operate under current rates.
Watch report from Jada Williams
The vote directs the county attorney's office to return with a resolution implementing updated rates. The changes are not yet in effect.
Towing operators spent much of the meeting making their case to commissioners, saying nearly every aspect of their business has become more expensive in recent years.
"Everybody who stopped at the gas pump recently knows what we face," Anthony Huffman told commissioners. "If you change the oil in your car, you're paying more. If you buy tires, you're paying more. If you get supply parts, you're paying more. Our industry is really suffering at this point."
Industry leaders said they worked with Hillsborough County staff for more than a year reviewing towing categories and costs line by line before arriving at the recommendations presented to the board.
The county's review examined rates last adjusted in 2023 and compared them with rates in other jurisdictions. Staff also reviewed specialized towing and recovery services involving large commercial vehicles, buses, boats and other major incidents.
Towing industry representatives told commissioners that costs have increased significantly since the last rate review.
Justin Heller, Region Six Local Area Chair for the Professional Wrecker Operators of Florida and vice president of a local towing company, said operating expenses have climbed more than 40 percent in recent years.
"Over the past six years, our industry operating costs have increased by more than 40 percent," Heller said. "A tow truck that cost approximately $72,000 in 2019 is approximately $140,000 now."
Heller argued that the industry's expenses have outpaced the county's roughly 15 percent increase and called for a larger adjustment to regulated rates.
Earlier this week, before Wednesday's meeting, I visited Stepp's Towing to get a closer look at the challenges facing operators.
Mike McArthur, director of operations for Stepp's Towing, said companies are dealing with rising costs across nearly every part of the business.
"We're required to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week," McArthur said. "We're required to have a certain amount of equipment inside of these trucks to meet the criteria that the police agencies require, so it costs us a lot of money to do this."
McArthur said diesel fuel remains one of the industry's biggest expenses.
"The price of diesel is affecting us more in more ways than anybody could ever possibly imagine," he said.
According to McArthur, fuel costs extend beyond simply driving from one location to another. Tow trucks often spend extended periods idling while recovering vehicles, clearing crash scenes or assisting law enforcement.
The proposal also includes a conditional $25 fuel surcharge intended to help offset fuel costs during periods of elevated diesel prices.
"It'll put a very small dent into what we actually spend on, but at least it's something to help us help the industry get through these times with the fuel prices the way they are," McArthur said.
Commissioners acknowledged that many county-regulated tows are non-consensual, meaning vehicle owners do not choose whether their vehicles are removed. As a result, county leaders said any rate adjustments must balance the towing industry's financial realities with consumer protections for drivers.
Commissioner Christine Miller said that balance was a key consideration throughout the review process.
"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 before making the motion to move the proposal forward.
The county-regulated rates apply primarily to trespass tows and vehicles removed at law enforcement's direction. Towing companies generally set their own prices for voluntary tows, such as when a driver calls for assistance after a breakdown.
The proposed rate changes will return to the board as a resolution before taking effect.
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