PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A South Florida lawmaker says the state needs to get to the bottom of long lines at DMV locations.
Local 10 News reported on the issue Wednesday.
Drivers at a DMV in Miami Gardens were told Tuesday to make an appointment online and come back another day.
Some others like Mirna Recabarren, showed up for her appointment, which she managed to snag only after closely monitoring the website.
“All night, at midnight, on the PC, it was very difficult,” Recabarren said.
Across town in Pembroke Pines, dozens have showed up before dawn for weeks hoping to get a walk-in appointment. Most leave disappointed.
Reached Tuesday, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said they’re in the process of hiring additional driver license examiners.
They blame the increased demand on a surge of new out-of-state arrivals.
“I think it’s absolutely absurd that people are having to camp outside to get their driver’s licenses,” State Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said. “There’s going to have to be an overhaul to deal with this capacity.”
The frustrations go beyond wait times. One family was turned away even though they had an appointment.
Juan Marinas, who came with his son, said, “We pay our taxes and we do not deserve this kind of treatment.”
Marinas’ family said DMV workers told them they booked the wrong type of appointment, even though the website says they have the correct type of appointment.
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said it has 5,000 appointments available daily in our area.