Fired For Paying Toll: ‘Beloved’ Florida Worker Fired For Paying Toll Out Of His Own Pocket

A man was fired for paying a toll out of his own pocket after he was told he “broke the rules” by doing so.

According to the Huffington Post, Vladislav “Sam” Samsonov, 77, has been collecting tolls at the at the Gasparilla Island Bridge for nearly three decades before he was let go. He feels that he was fired without proper cause. Many in the community are saddened to hear that Sam was fired after he put $5.50 of his own money in the cash register when he realized he missed a trailer going through his lane.

A beloved Florida tollbooth worker was suddenly fired for paying someone’s $5 toll. http://t.co/HRBDfMoa2c pic.twitter.com/wcjGIVdtJ3

— FOX8 WGHP (@myfox8) July 20, 2015

“He broke the rules by putting $5.50 into the cash register from his pocket after he realized he missed a trailer being pulled by a vehicle and wanted his register to balance with the axel counts and was caught on tape putting money from his pocket into the register,” Sam’s daughter, Patricia, wrote on Facebook.

The man fired for paying the toll was well-known by people who crossed the bridge on a regular basis. Not only was he always cheery, but he also would have treats on hand for dogs, and lollipops for kids that would pass through his lane.

“After 29 years, you can’t help it. I gave children suckers 20 years ago. Now I’m giving those children suckers for their children,” Sam said. As you can probably imagine, Sam is very upset about getting fired. His daughter said that he’s been very emotional, and that he has been tearing up just talking about what happened.

While he thought he was doing something to rectify a mistake that he had made, he lost his job anyway. According to Mail Online, Sam saw nothing wrong with what he did.

“I’d put the six dollars in, I got the six dollars back the next day. In my eyes there was no crime committed, I just helped somebody out.”

After being fired for paying the toll, Sam has decided to spend some time volunteering at a hospital rather than find another job. While several people have wanted to get Sam his job back, his daughter assures the public that her dad is going to be okay.

“Please know that this is Sam’s second retirement after also having been in the military for 26 years and he is well taken care of with benefits. As we spoke yesterday, he stated he would reach out to the local hospital to become a volunteer a few days a week to keep him busy.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has declined to comment on what happened.

[Photo by William Thomas Cain / Getty Images]