As getting a driver’s license continues to be a struggle in South Florida, NBC 6 learned that the prices to buy an appointment are going up, and the state announced on Wednesday that it’s opening a new location aimed at serving more people.
A mom who is trying to get her daughter a drivers license now says she was offered an appointment for $150, up from the $60 that NBC 6 first reported.
“It is a disaster and I want to know why it is happening, and I also want to know why people are having to spend money out of their own pockets to pay a private entity," said state Sen. Annette Taddeo.
On Wednesday, Taddeo sent a letter addressed to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Terry Rhodes requesting a status report on how the department is dealing with the driver’s license situation, calling it “an alarming trend” that “on its surface, is not being remedied.”
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Over the past few weeks, NBC 6 has been documenting the debacle at South Florida DMVs. We have talked to people waiting months — some up to a year — to get a driver’s license. Others gave up and paid for appointments sold online.
“This I consider a tax on our constituents,” Taddeo said.
Taddeo, who is currently running for Congress, said the number of people contacting her office has been steadily increasing every week and said this issue is only affecting Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
“I know we have a lot of new people moving, but that doesn’t explain why you would need to go somewhere else to get a test and why you need to pay extra money,” she said.
FLHSMV said that starting Saturday, the Coral Reef office will be closed and will be replaced by the Mall of Americas location — a larger location that can accommodate more customers.
The state also said it has “committed significant resources to review appointment requests and, as a result, cancels approximately 1,000 fictitious appointments per day.”
The state added that it’s working with the vendor of the appointment system to explore ways to prevent these appointments.
“The lines at these places — I personally went and saw it myself — are outrageous," Taddeo said. "Hours of standing there for those who can’t get an appointment as their last resort. It shouldn’t be that way. The government is supposed to work for the people."
The senator’s letter also addressed issues that non-citizens — for example, someone who is in the country with a green card — are having while trying to get a license.
NBC 6 once again requested an interview with the state department that oversees drivers licenses and is waiting to hear back.
