Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez Announces Zero Tolerance Policy, Audit And Enforcement Action Of Every Disabled Parking And Temporary Disabled Parking Permit Application
Effective immediately, the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s Office is executing a full countywide audit of every disabled parking permit and temporary disabled parking permit application filed within the last 24 months. Under Florida law, disabled parking permits, whether temporary or permanent, are issued through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) or through its authorized agents, including the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s Office. This legal authority is what empowers our office to issue, regulate, audit, and revoke these permits when fraud or abuse is identified. This action is firm, decisive, and necessary. Widespread abuse has harmed seniors, veterans, and residents with legitimate mobility disabilities. A system created to protect the most vulnerable has been exploited for too long. That ends now.
Every disabled parking permit application is an official state document. The law is clear and unmistakable. Knowingly providing false information on an application or medical certification is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable under sections 775.082 and 775.083, Florida Statutes, by up to one year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. Any person who fraudulently obtains or unlawfully displays a disabled parking permit that does not belong to them, or who uses an unauthorized replica with intent to deceive, commits a second-degree misdemeanor. These are criminal acts, not technical errors.
Law enforcement officers and parking enforcement specialists are authorized under Florida law to confiscate any disabled parking permit that is expired, fraudulent, reported lost or stolen, defaced, does not display a personal identification number, or is being unlawfully used. All fraudulent permits identified through this audit process will be revoked without exception. In addition, our enforcement department will work aggressively, in coordination with local and state law enforcement, to identify violators, conduct field operations, and ensure full compliance with the law without exceptions.
This audit will be comprehensive and uncompromising. Application documentation will be reviewed, eligibility will be verified based on statutory requirements, patterns of abuse will be identified, and every irregularity will be investigated. When violations are confirmed, cases will be referred directly for criminal prosecution, and all fraudulent permits will be permanently revoked.
Disabled parking permits are not conveniences. They are lifelines. Every fraudulent permit represents a space stolen from a senior who cannot walk long distances, from a veteran who sacrificed for this country, and from a resident who lives daily with serious mobility limitations. This is not only illegal, it is morally wrong.
Miami-Dade County residents deserve fairness, transparency, and a system they can trust. This action is part of our broader mission to restore integrity, enforce accountability, and protect lawful access. The message is absolute and final: fraud will be found, abuse will be punished, false permits will be revoked, and the public trust will be defended without hesitation.
God Bless Miami-Dade County
God Bless the United States of America
Dariel Fernandez
Tax Collector, Miami-Dade County
