Operation Green Light kicks off this week. It allows drivers in Miami-Dade County the opportunity to have savings on certain fees related to reinstating their driver’s license.
One man with a suspended license came to this Coral Gables branch Court Office and thought he would have to pay big fees to reinstate his license, “They offered me the option to pay it all at once or the installment, I chose to pay in the installment, which was only $25.”
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WATCH HEREHe only had to pay his initial ticket, not the added collection costs.
A welcome surprise, to others like Martina who shares in Spanish, “It’s great, it’s a help because of the economy, to mothers and fathers who are without work. This is great what they are doing, a help for the families and the people who are working on the street.”
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Monday, the office of the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller kicked off ‘Operation Green Light’, a two-week initiative to help those with suspended driver’s licenses have collection fees waived.
According to the office, the program has helped resolve over 17,000 cases with savings of more than a million dollars in collection fees.
Currently, in Miami-Dade, there are over 124,000 suspended licenses in our community, more than 1.2 million collection cases.
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The hope is to not only get more people back on the road but help ease the financial burden in doing so.
Maribel came last week and said she paid more than $500 to pay off a ticket and get her license reinstated. In Spanish, she states, “I wish it would have been in effect for me last week and I would have taken advantage.”
Others like Jonathan came back to the court office after already paying close to $300.
Monday, he wanted to make sure everything was good. He was surprised to hear about the initiative and hopes those in his same boat take advantage of these next two weeks.
“That is awesome for everyone, I wish they would have done it earlier, that would have helped me a lot but I think it’s very necessary and I think that means someone’s actually listening.”
Johnathan says that had he not had to pay the fees associated with reinstating his license it could have gone towards other things like groceries or items for his daughter.
To take advantage of the program you can visit any of the various branch locations.
That includes the Coral Gables District Court, Hialeah District Court, Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, and Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Joseph Caleb Center Court, North Dade Justice Center, and South Dade Government Center will offer extended hours on Thursdays from 9 a. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
