Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez Answers to the Miami Herald Reporter Doug Hanks

Tax Collector-Press, Answered: 

Good afternoon Doug, 

Although the Miami-Dade Driver Licenses are currently still under the purview of Department of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025, we received several reports of an incident that occurred between members of the public and Driver License staff. Based off the information we received; we believe the incident was caused by misinformation that members of the public may have received regarding their ability to obtain walk-in service at the location without an appointment. We believe this issue may have been exacerbated by the heightened tensions surrounding recent executive orders issued by President Trump which intend to put an end to illegal immigration and protect the national security of the United States by removing gangs, terrorists, and illegal criminals from this country. 

Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the Driver License staff and members of the public, the Tax Collector himself and his team, contacted FLHSMV to convey those concerns and to request that they enhance the level of security at their offices while they are transitioning to the Office of the Tax Collector. In response, FLHSMV committed to posting Florida Highway Patrolman (FHP) at the Offices in addition to enhancing the number of security guards at each location. As you may remember, FHP would routinely be posted at the offices in the past. 

One of the top priorities of Mr. Dariel Fernandez, as the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, is to ensure that all members of the public and the employees that serve them, have a safe environment to work where they can deliver the highest level of customer service that the residents of Miami-Dade County expect from their public servants.

For further media inquiries, please email us at press@mdctaxcollector.gov