Overnight lines, safety concerns at Sunrise DMV as Broward prepares for 2026 takeover

CBS News

4 hours ago

Broward County's DMV offices remain under state control until the county tax collector assumes operations next summer, but some residents say the current conditions at the Sunrise location are already unacceptable.
"I got here at 11 p.m. last night because I wanted to be first in line," said Jacob, a Sunrise resident.
But even arriving that early didn't guarantee a spot at the front.
"We pulled up at approximately 1:30 this morning thinking that we were making good time and we arrived to a line wrapped all around the building," said Anthony Vitiello from Davie.
"This cannot be the standard," disabled residents say
Each person CBS News Miami spoke to thought they were arriving early enough, only to find a crowd already waiting.
Charles Bailey from Plantation said he changed his plans after seeing the line forming hours earlier.
"I was out with my daughter; we drove by and I noticed people gathering at 8:30 p.m. the night before. And I thought well, I better do something about this or I'm not going to get in, so I came out here at 4:30 in the morning," Bailey said.
For many, these early hours are more than just an inconvenience, they pose a real health risk.
"There's a lot of people who have disabilities and who aren't built to stand in line all day. Like me, for example, I have cerebral palsy, so it's actually not healthy for me to be doing this, but I have no choice," said Vitiello.
Vitiello and his mother, Tina Mahar, are both disabled and say this was their second time camping out overnight.
"This cannot be the standard," Vitiello said.
"Well I'm not feeling too well right now because I always don't feel well if I stay up all night," said Mahar.
Others have seen medical emergencies during the long waits.
"He was standing there for a while with me and he was starting to faint and a couple people around us just caught him," said Jamie Engles from Parkland, describing an elderly man who collapsed in line.
Still, some residents said they are resigned to the reality.
"That's life, you know. I got to adapt to the situation," Jacob said.
Solutions in progress, but many months away
CBS News Miami brought residents' concerns to Broward County Tax Collector Abbey Ajayi, whose office will take over DMV operations in mid-2026.
"Yes, we've seen the lines like that," Ajayi said. "It's awful that that is happening, we have some solutions on the table."
Ajayi said those solutions include opening four additional service centers throughout the county, though specific locations have not yet been announced. Her office also plans to hire more staff and implement technology to block scalpers from booking up appointments online.
"It is a crisis and we're working with all the stakeholders," Ajayi said. "In addition to addressing it legally, we're addressing it with technology, where they (scalpers) will not be able to make multiple appointments online and that will alleviate a lot of those problems."
Ajayi also said her office will ensure that appointments are reserved for Broward County residents, noting that roughly 25% of the estimated 63,000 people served each month at county DMV offices come from outside Broward.
"We're looking at technology that allows us to have an appointment system that advises residents when to come up, similar to what restaurants do where you're texted when it's almost your turn so you don't have residents sitting outside in the sun and the rain," Ajayi said.
Legal action and FLOW relief
Ajayi said she hopes to bring in more Florida Licensing on Wheels (FLOW) mobile units in the interim. The next one scheduled for South Florida will be in Pompano Beach on July 16.
Meanwhile, attorney Michael Pizzi has filed a lawsuit against the tax collectors of both Miami-Dade and Broward counties. He said he wants better security and safer conditions for residents forced to endure long waits.
CBS News Miami said it repeatedly reached out to the state for comment or an interview about what is being done to improve conditions immediately but received no response.
Some residents say the current situation has left them unwilling to wait at all.
"I'm not waiting. If my license is suspended, then it's suspended, that's how I feel," said Hanna Pacheco from Sunrise.