MARGATE, FLA. (WSVN) - Long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles across South Florida are angering residents who said the system is not working.
At the DMV in Margate, Friday, dozens of people told 7News they had to sleep overnight outside of the office or in the parking lot to get in.
“I’ve been here all night. I got here yesterday at 5 p.m., and there was 15 people in line,” said Marlon Rozier.
“We got here at 9:30 last night,” said Karen Huebner.
Camping out has become a common occurrence at DMVs all over South Florida. 7News spoke to people who said it happens every single night, Monday through Thursday.
Huebner and Ria Kiddy said they had to sleep on the hard concrete just to get a new license, a transaction they couldn’t do online.
“We just got our papers, waiting for them to bring our IDs out. This was a second visit. This is ridiculous. People with kids waiting overnight, elderly, no bathroom, no security,” said Kiddy.
“It was uncomfortable, it was cold. We were all miserable, and we were all in the same boat,” said Huebner. “You are hostage; you can’t leave until you know whether or not you get in or not.”
Huebner and Kiddy said appointments are hard to get online, so people like them have no choice but to camp out outside.
There’s no appointment for a month, and her birthday is the third. We had to do it. There’s no other choice, so it’s camping out, that’s it. That shouldn’t be the only option,” said Kiddy.
“And this wasn’t the only time we’ve camped out. We were here two Mondays ago. We got here at like 5 o’clock in the morning, and we were 96th in line, and they only take 50 plus 10 driving tests,” said Huebner.
Another dissatisfied customer, Diego Velázquez, said he camped out on an unusually cold night on Thursday.
“I came at 10:30 p.m. I slept here, and it was so cold,” he said.
But his overnight stay didn’t do much, as he was told he had to return.
“They said I need to come on Monday. So, I slept all night, and I don’t have a driver’s license,” he said.
Officials said the long lines are due to the DMVs being understaffed.
In North Miami, 7News cameras captured long lines and short tempers.
“It’s a lot, it’s a lot. Today I had to miss a day of work,” said Bianca Gonzalez.
Miami-Dade has a new tax collector, Dariel Fernandez, who has promised shorter lines.
Fernandez has added more service windows, staff and is investing in online technology.
“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,” he said.
7News has reached out to the state of Florida to ask about the long lines but, as of Friday evening, did not hear back.
People standing in the long lines told 7News they fear it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.
“Somebody needs to fix it. It’s not safe,” said Huebner. “We had a young girl sitting next to us who was here for her driver’s exam. She was 18 years old.”
Officials have opened a new DMV in Miami on Northwest Second Avenue. It is all part of Fernandez’s plan to expand service and shorten lines.
There is no current plan in Broward County to open new offices.
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