Drew Wilson
Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers will help Floridians with suspended licenses get back on the road later this month.
From March 26 through April 9, county clerks of court across the state will host events as part of “Operation Green Light.”
During the Operation Green Light window, clerks will be waiving certain costs associated with driver license reinstatement. In Alachua County, for instance, Clerk of the Court Jess Irby will hold a Driver License Clinic April 4-9 during which his office will waive all collection agency fees and interest on overdue court obligations, including traffic tickets.
Other agencies participating in the event include the Alachua County Tax Collector, Florida’s 8th Judicial Circuit, Alachua County Court Services, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Florida Department of Revenue and the Florida Bureau of Administrative Review, among others.
“Each year, Clerks of Court put considerable time and effort into making the Operation Green Light events a success,” Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers CEO Chris Hart IV said. “As we plan this year’s coordinated events over the coming weeks, we encourage fellow constitutional officers, agencies, and community leaders to get involved and help spread the word about this life-changing initiative. For potential participants, please mark your calendars and continue to check our website for the event schedule.”
Under a law passed in 2019, clerk’s offices statewide are required to offer a driver license reinstatement program at least once a year. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Chip LaMarca, was aimed at reducing the number of would-be drivers whose licenses are suspended due to unpaid fines or fees or other easily reconciled matters.
Since the law went into effect, Florida Clerks of Court have held more than 145 events and helped more than 24,000 Floridians become eligible for driver license reinstatement.
Details on other Operation Green Light events are available on the Florida Clerks & Comptrollers website.
One comment
Jean Elizabeth Siegel
March 2, 2022 at 1:46 am
I think this isn’t absolutely wonderful, wonderful opportunity to offer people the opportunity to get help and stand on their feet again, the part of the working community to get out from underneath the debt, an opportunity to reconnect with the self-esteem that comes with getting a job and being able to have a drivers license and make a living for their family and themselves. I worked in the behavioral healthcare field with addictions for almost 20 years. And this was always one of the biggest challenges for people that were sustaining recovery but could not afford to pay the fines or the expenses to get their drivers licenses back. And it was a big challenge to be doing the things that they’re supposed to be doing like the rest of the world is but not to be able to have a license to make a living and really move forward in the recovery to be a member of society. So whether it’s someone that’s lost it due to Child Support or other challenges that come with it, everybody deserves a second chance. And it’s wonderful to see these groups of people that are willing to help make a difference in these peoples lives. Make that burden little bit later. Thank you to all who are doing this it warms my heart to see the help that’s being offered…. Thank you for caring
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