Statement from Miami-Dade County Tax Collector. Setting the Record Straight: We Stand for Truth, Accountability, and the People of Miami-Dade County

Miami, FL. June 26, 2025 — We are aware of a recent media report that a lawsuit has been filed against the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the Office of the Tax Collector of Miami-Dade and Broward. As of today, our office has not been formally served with the complaint being referenced. However, it appears to be based on events that took place at a Broward DHSMV location, and that has absolutely nothing to do with the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector. We will respond through the appropriate legal channels, if circumstances required us to do so, and at the appropriate time.

As your Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, I will always protect the interests of the people and will continue working every single day to bring efficiency, dignity, and transparency to every service we provide. While some may try to tum resident frustration into a payday at the taxpayers' expense, we remain steadfast in our duty to be responsible stewards of the public's hard-earned money. Every decision we make must reflect that responsibility.

I am fully committed to honoring that trust through action, accountability, and unwavering service to the people of Miami-Dade County. That's why, under my administration: 

• We worked tirelessly with our local and state partners to criminalize appointment scalping and fraud.

• We have eliminated lines from our process, and residents now have the convenience of a virtual queue.

• We have launched self-service kiosks at Publix supermarkets. 

• We are deploying mobile offices to serve vulnerable and underserved communities.

• We are actively transitioning five additional offices to local management - and we are fully ready to take over. Once we do, we will end the long lines and wait times.

Let me be clear: no one should ever have to sleep on a sidewalk to access a government service. That is not the Miami-Dade we stand for — and it is precisely why I took on this responsibility. While I cannot comment further on pending litigation, I reaffirm my  commitment to continuing putting the people first with dignity, safety, and respect at its core. 

We will always listen. We will always act. And we will continue working every day to restore faith in public service.

God bless our residents, and God bless the United States of America.

Dariel Fernandez

Miami-Dade County Tax Collector

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