600,000 people driving with suspended licenses in Miami-Dade

More than 600,000 people are driving with a suspended license in Miami-Dade, according to court data obtained by Local 10 news. 

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said this was an urgent problem that needed to be fixed so that people could safely get back on the roads. 

“This truly has been a wasteful and broken system and we can fix it. We can save thousands of jobs, we can improve safety for everyone,” said Levine Cava.

The court data shows that about two-thirds of those driving with suspended licenses had them suspended because they did not pay fines or collection fees. The last third had were driving with suspended licenses because their failed to show up at court. 

Most of the drivers did not have their licenses suspended over safety issues. 

Miami-Dade county is dealing with the backlog to prevent suspensions, according to Commissioner Eileen Higgins. 

“With drivers license suspension we have turned every year, tens of thousands into criminals because we’re charging them with the offense only because they cannot pay for a fee, or a cost or collection,” said Carlos Martinez, Miami-Dade Public Defender.

Most of the suspensions have affected drivers from low-income zip codes, adding to their inability to pay fees. 

Officials have said that many times those caught driving with a suspended license face rough consequences. One example involves a pregnant woman who had to spend the night in jail because she was pulled over and her license had been suspended. 

To prevent incidents like this in the future, officials are trying to work out a way for those caught driving with suspended licenses to face less harsh consequences. Additionally, the courts will try to work with the drivers to get them to pay their outstanding debts and fees. 

“If their suspension is solely due to their inability to pay and not because they’re a bad or dangerous driver, they’ll no longer be arrested,” said Judge Steve Leifman, 11th Judicial Circuit.