Atlantic Beach residents made their voices heard about the tolls at the Atlantic Beach Bridge during a meeting with the Nassau Bridge Authority Wednesday night.

The toll increase went into effect in January 2023.

During Wednesday night’s meeting, Bridge Authority commissioners said the toll increase helps with major repairs and everyday expenses. Also, they said the toll needed to be increased after it remained stagnant for 17 years. 

Opponents of the toll say Atlantic Beach residents and businesses struggle to afford the tolls and fees.

Atlantic Beach Village Trustee Barry Frohlinger had several questions he addressed to the Bridge Authority after reviewing its financial statements. 

"Right now, they're sitting in a position of having so much excess liquidity, so much excess cash and it's all come from this really exorbitant increase,” he said. "The toll is a necessity. It's the toll increase that's not the necessity."

Frohlinger says he feels the NCBA needs community input to better understand the impact the tolls are having on the community. 

"They should be getting advice from the public, from the citizens that use it,” he said. “It is clear to me that the 12 of them sitting in that room have no clue about what the average person is going through."

Joseph Fink, of Atlantic Beach, says he has to pay a higher fee because his cars are not registered in Nassau, even though he owns a home in Atlantic Beach.

"I have a place on the island. I pay taxes to the Village of Atlantic Beach and to the Town of Hempstead and to the school system in Lawrence. I pay all those taxes. I should get a break,” he said.

Businesses like Ace Landscaping Services are not spared from the toll increase. Juan Reyes, of Ace Landscaping, says the additional charges on their work vehicles result in higher operational costs for them.

"You have to think of tolls and expenses just to get over there,” he said. "We got to take everything into consideration when it comes to doing business. At the end of the day, it's not going to come out of the constructor's pocket or landscaper's pocket. Someone's got to pay."

Beth Garnett, of Atlantic Beach, says personal care aides are also suffering because of the toll. She says many cannot afford the yearly E-ZPass fees. 

"They're having to pay for the single ride and they go back and forth,” she said. “So it's $8 a day, and they just don't make enough to have it be affordable for them."

News 12 reached out to the NCBA for comment prior to the meeting and is waiting to hear back for a response.