(WSVN) - Getting a driver’s license in South Florida is a headache. There are long lines, and it is difficult to get an appointment.
Now a major change is promising to speed things up. 7’s Heather Walker investigates.
Any day of the week, it is chaos outside of South Florida’s DMV offices. There are long lines, and at times, short tempers.
Bianca Gonzalez, driver: “It’s a lot, it’s a lot.”
Some people have resorted to camping out overnight just to get in. Others wake up early.
Bianca Gonzalez: “We had to get up at like 4 in the morning to go there.”
Bianca Gonzalez is a Miami Dade public schoolteacher, just trying to get her driver’s license.
Bianca Gonzalez: “Today I had to miss a day of work.”
But the waiting and the aggravation could be coming to an end.
Dariel Fernandez, Miami-Dade Tax Collector: “We are here to help.”
In November, Miami-Dade County voters elected Dariel Fernandez as tax collector.
Dariel Fernandez: “I am here to support my community.”
It is now his responsibility to oversee DMVs in Miami-Dade, which will no longer be under control of the state.
Dariel Fernandez: “It’s insane that you need to wait at least three months to get an appointment. And after that, you need to spend the whole night and part of the day to just, for example, change the address or get a new ID.”
In his first interview, Fernandez tells 7 Investigates he already has plans for improvements.
Dariel Fernandez: “We are going to cut the lines, the waiting time in lines.”
Fernandez says he will start by adding more service windows and staff at the North Miami office and then focus on other offices in the county.
But he says the biggest change is happening online.
Dariel Fernandez: “We started creating a customer service center that the people, before they go to the office, they are going to communicate with some of our customer service reps, and they are going to explain to them what they need.”
The representative will give you a list of documents you need for your appointment and let you know if you can take care of your issue online.
To help cut down on lines, some DMV locations will be adding kiosks where you can renew your vehicle registration.
Dariel Fernandez: “One of the main problems that we have now is technology, so we need to invest in technology.”
Technology that will prohibit people from booking multiple appointments and selling them online.
Dariel Fernandez: “With our new software, we are going to restrict all of that.”
Broward County also elected a new tax collector and will be implementing similar changes, but don’t expect to see any improvements just yet. Fernandez says it will take about six months to get up and running.
Dariel Fernandez: “We are in the best country in the world. We cannot allow people that start, you know, doing this to our residents. Because a person is going to get a driver’s license because they need them.”
People like Bianca are excited to see things being kicked into drive.
Heather Walker, 7News.
CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com
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