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By JEAN HELLER
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 11, 2001
Who'd have thought that funky, retro tropical shirts would sell as if they were Elvis memorabilia?
Officials of the Turnpike Division of the state Department of Transportation were shocked this week to discover that overwhelming public demand for "toll taker shirts" had stripped shelves of supplies even before the shelves were stocked.
It took just three days to sell out the initial order of 600 shirts, and two of the days were over the weekend.
"The response was just tremendous," said Michael Washburn, a division spokesman. "We put them in one service plaza and opened the 800 number on Friday, and by Monday they were gone. We planned to put them into 13 other service plazas later this week, but we haven't got any left to distribute."
They will be reordered, however, and Washburn said he anticipated that outstanding orders would be filled by the middle of August.
"People can still call in and order the shirts on the toll-free line (1-800-404-7007)," Washburn said. "We'll catch up with demand and then have the shirts available at selected service plazas for as long as they continue to sell."
The shirts, introduced as standard wear for toll booth operators along the Florida's Turnpike and at other state toll facilities in 1999, quickly proved popular with the public.
The cream-colored shirts are decorated with Florida scenes from 1930s postcards: beachgoers, palm trees, sailboats and flamingos. Woven through the images are the names of the state's toll plazas.
The shirts, which come in sizes ranging from XS to XXL, cost $39.95. The state makes no money on them. The toll plaza concessionaire, HMSHost Corp., buys them directly from the uniform vendor. But $1 from each sale goes into the Florida State Employees Charitable Campaign, which donates to local charities.