PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – At the Pembroke Pines Department of Motor Vehicles office, people show up early to make sure they get inside.
Now, police are out monitoring the scene to keep things orderly.
Bolivar Almonte, who arrives at the office as a walk-in without an appointment, comes daily hoping to get a spot.
“(There’s like) 150 people and they are only taking 60 people,” said Almonte, who grows more frustrated by the day.
After hours of waiting, a DMV staffer comes out to tell those waiting outside that there are no more walk-ins and they have reached their 60-person max.
“I am very frustrated. I came an hour from Miami, Westchester to be here at 5 o’clock, 4 o’clock in the morning and I gotta go home without nothing,” said Almonte.
Some people are now choosing to wait overnight outside just to try to get in.
Mitch Trecius arrived around 11 p.m. Tuesday and said there were already people waiting.
“So, I guess we made the right choice,” he said.
State officials are blaming it on population growth, adding that DMV offices in Miami-Dade and Broward counties have seen a significant demand and are extending their hours of operation. They’ve also opened additional locations on Saturdays and do take walk-ins.
They are also encouraging people to get things done online. We gave it a shot and eventually found some appointments for July 31 and we also tried twice to call by telephone, getting a busy signal each time.
But those waiting in line say they have tried to make an appointment online and tried to call, with no luck.
Adrian Winston says he’s tried and doesn’t get anywhere. He said the only way to get anywhere with the system is to show up in person.
Almonte says he’s frustrated.
“We are the taxpayers,” he said. “We pay for the service and that shouldn’t happen to us.”
If you’re going to try to make an appointment online, make sure you are going to the Florida DMV website. A lot of sites look official, but they are not.
Here is the official website, which provides locations throughout Florida. This is where you can access the appointment scheduler.
Many offices require appointments for service.
Even if you do have an appointment, expect to wait to be served. Those with appointments sometimes have to wait up to two hours or more.