Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez says the long lines and wait times that have plagued Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) sites in the county for years aren’t exactly happening naturally.
His Office said it has uncovered a “network of appointment scalpers profiting from driver’s license scheduling.”
They use the DMV’s free appointment-scheduling online portal to hoard appointments, the Office said, and then resell them for a profit, creating false demand and a headache for those truly seeking services.
Fernandez said he’ll be working with Miami-Dade officials and law enforcement to crack down on the “fraudulent and exploitive activity.”
“We know who they are and how they operate. We will not accept any appointment obtained through system abuse,” Fernandez said in a statement Monday.
“Our office is committed to ensuring that all residents have fair and equal access to services without interference from those seeking to exploit the system.”
Residents have long complained about seemingly endless queues and canceled appointments at driver’s license locations across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. To address the issue, some sites have added kiosks and Florida Highway Patrol officers have been sent to DMVs in Miami-Dade to handle security and address safety disturbances.
Fernandez, a software technology entrepreneur and past Community Council member, successfully ran for Tax Collector last year on a promise to leverage technology to improve services and accessibility to county services. That may include putting much of the DMV’s currently in-person-only services online.
The Miami-Dade Tax Collector’s Office this year is absorbing the responsibilities of the DMV for the first time. Other counties started the process more than a decade ago.
The long DMV lines in South Florida have gotten the attention of the Legislature, whose top officers are working on allocating millions to fix the problem.
“We know it exists and we’re working on it,” Senate President Ben Albritton told WPLG Local 10 News this month, adding that he and House Speaker Daniel Perez are working closely with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on budget earmarks to enhance DMV systems.
