Latest news with #Pichardo
Miami Herald
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Lines at Miami's DMV offices stretch for hours. What's being done?
Kimberly Pichardo, 27, took a spot in the DMV line around 9 a.m. on a cloudless Wednesday afternoon, back when her phone was fully charged and she wasn't worried about the afternoon pickup time at her son's school. But as 2 o'clock approached under the Miami sun, a couple dozen people still stood between Pichardo and the Miami Central DMV office inside a shopping center off the Dolphin Expressway. Teachers had dismissed her son's class about a half-hour earlier, leaving Pichardo to scramble for a plan B while her phone's battery remained alive. 'I called my mom to pick him up right before my phone died,' Pichardo said. 'What can I do?' For people like Pichardo needing a driver's license issued or updated in South Florida, there's no easy answer to that question beyond the obvious one: get in line and wait. Online portals for the 15 DMV offices in Broward and Miami-Dade routinely show no openings available — even eight weeks out. Lines for walk-up slots at the offices start forming hours before the doors open — and sometimes even the night before. While the staff did eventually open their doors to everyone in line the day Pichardo arrived, waits lasted hours. 'It's a mess,' Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez said as he approached the afternoon line outside the Central office, an operation he recently inherited from the state. 'We've got to fix it.' For now, Florida still controls all five driver's-license offices in Broward and seven of the 10 in Miami-Dade. Until January, those were the only two counties in Florida that still had appointed tax collectors, meaning they were also the only two counties to have state-run DMVs. A constitutional amendment passed in 2018 now requires all counties to elect their tax collectors. In November, Miami-Dade voters elected Fernandez, a Republican software company owner, and Broward voters elected Abbey Ajayi, a Democrat and veteran of that county's Tax Collector's Office. Those elections also triggered the slow-moving end to the state running DMV offices in South Florida. State rules require elected tax collectors to run licensing offices in their counties, and now Broward and Miami-Dade fall under that mandate. While an Ajayi spokesperson said the Broward Tax Collector's Office plans to take over state DMV offices next summer, Fernandez is adding them to his portfolio already. Last month, he took over the Northside Justice Center DMV office (15555 Biscayne Blvd. in North Miami) and said he expects to take over the DMV's Mall of the Americas location (7795 W. Flagler St. near Westchester) sometime in May. He also brought driver's-license services to the Tax Collector's Office headquarters in downtown Miami (200 NW Second Ave.). The takeover comes as DMV offices are overwhelmed by demand in South Florida, with visa crackdowns spurring more immigrants to secure government identification and a May 7 deadline looming for the federal Real ID program, which requires U.S. citizens to have up-to-date licenses or a passport if they want to board a domestic flight. (In Florida, a Real ID-compliant license has a star on the upper right corner.) Fernandez promises major improvements on wait times and says progress is already underway in the three DMV locations his staff now runs. 'We inherited a crisis,' he said. A representative for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles was not available for comment this week. Andrew Lopez, director of motorist services under Fernandez, said the Tax Collector's Office has expanded staffing at the Central office in the past few weeks. On the day of Pichardo's visit, there were 33 windows open inside, up from about a dozen when the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles turned it over to Fernandez earlier this month. With more windows open, more people are being seen — Lopez said the average daily count is now about 700 customer visits on an average day, up from about 450 when the Tax Collector's Office took over. Fernandez said he added credit-card scanners to each window, saving a trip to the cashier's section for customers who don't want to pay in cash. He also says Central is seeing a reduction in no-show appointments after improved scheduling software eliminated the ability to book unlimited time slots with a single phone number. Fernandez said the old software his office inherited allowed driving schools to tie up hundreds of time slots a day for students, even though most of the appointments were never used. Fernandez backed legislation recently approved by the County Commission imposing fines on anyone caught 'scalping' a DMV appointment. He's also predicting more appointment availability as Central and the other former state-run offices shift fully to appointments made under the new system. Fernandez said Central each day has about 400 appointments made under the state reservation framework — time slots the Tax Collector's Office inherited. He said the last of those state-made appointments — which Fernandez said tend to mean lots of no-shows — should be retired sometime in May, and he thinks it will be easier for people to make an appointment after that. He expects his office's booking software to also utilize AI technology to steer people to their closest DMV office, as well as speed the processing time at windows by helping staff inspect the documents required for new or modified driver's licenses. Whatever improvements may be coming, Pichardo's experience highlights the current struggles for getting a license issued, updated or renewed in South Florida. Here are some tips to make the process a bit less frustrating: Beat the early birds in DMV lines This is easier said than done, with some people camping out overnight to secure their slots in line. A 72-year-old Broward resident named Harvey told the Herald he arrived at the Sunrise DMV office at 3 a.m. to wait for the 8 a.m. opening. 'I was No. 77 in line,' he said. Harvey, who asked that his last name not be published, said the people in the front of the line had arrived at 9 the night before. Nina Dape drove the 20 miles between her home in Hollywood and the Miami-Dade Tax Collector's main office in downtown Miami on a recent morning, arriving around 3:30 a.m. 'I was sixth in line,' the 19-year-old student said. The first person there — who didn't want to give his full name — said he'd arrived at 12:30 a.m. Both were let into the downtown office the moment the doors opened at 8:30 a.m. Getting to the DMV early is key, given that the number of slots for walk-in customers at some offices can be quite limited. With only eight DMV windows, the downtown Miami office typically accepts 30 walk-ins at the start of the day but will accommodate more depending on the number of no-shows for appointments, a spokesperson said. Don't wait to hunt for a DMV appointment in Broward or Miami-Dade Appointments on the state and county online booking portals aren't impossible to get — but they're probably going to require some advanced planning. In the middle of April, the state's Miami Gardens DMV office had some morning appointments available — but not until mid-June. Carlos Castillo, 41, was able to get a new Florida license two hours after arriving at the Central office on a recent afternoon, thanks to securing a 2 p.m. appointment he'd made weeks earlier. The Illinois transplant said he went online on Feb. 26 and that April 16 was the earliest slot he could reserve. He said he was stunned the wait was so long to get a license with his new address. 'In Chicago, it's pretty straightforward,' he said. Prepare to camp to get a driver's license renewed For large DMV offices like Central (at 3721 NW Seventh St. in Miami), endurance can make the difference between a wasted day that ends with no license and a long day that ends with getting a license renewed or issued. Anthony Martinez, 27, arrived at Central roughly the same time as Pichardo. By 1 p.m., he said there would have been even more people ahead of him if not for an endurance gap. 'The reason we're here is so many people gave up and left,' he said. 'This is ridiculous.' Like Pichardo, Martinez did make it to the front of the line at the Central DMV office that day after about a five-hour wait. The line on the unshaded sidewalk in the shopping center parking lot grew and contracted throughout the day. It finally vanished around 4 p.m. after Tax Collector staff came out to instruct the last group of people to come inside the air-conditioned office. Jorge Bonet had been there since 10:30 am. Five hours later, his wife drove by to drop off a chocolate shake and McChicken sandwich from McDonald's. 'I haven't eaten anything all day,' he said.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Homicide in South Austin: Teenager shot, killed; teenage suspect turns himself in
The Brief Police investigating homicide in South Austin Teenager killed near 6400 block of Bradsher Drive at around 10:13 p.m. on March 30 AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department is investigating after a teenager was killed near the 6400 block of Bradsher Drive. The backstory Austin police say they responded at around 10:13 p.m. on March 30 and when officers arrived, they found an unresponsive male with apparent gunshot wounds on the ground outside a residence. Life-saving measures were administered, but the victim, later identified as 16-year-old Matthew Pichardo, was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:34 p.m. Police did talk to witnesses and the investigation revealed Pichardo had been shot by another juvenile male who fled the scene. APD says the juvenile suspect later turned himself in to Gardner Betts Juvenile Center within a few hours. The juvenile has been charged with first-degree murder. Police believe this was an isolated incident. What's next Anyone with information should contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. Tips can be sent anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest. This case is being investigated as Austin's 10th homicide of 2025. The Source Information from Austin Police Department.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Police: Rockford man admits to robbing a Mobil Gas Station in Loves Park
LOVES PARK, Ill. (WTVO) — Loves Park Police arrested Ony Pichardo, 32, for allegedly robbing a Mobil Gas Station by indicating he had a firearm. On Feb 12, around 9:15 p.m., officers were called to the Mobil in the 5900 block of Forest Hills Road for a call from the attendant reporting that a man driving a black Kia Sportage just robbed the convenience store. The attendant told authorities she suspected the suspect was armed when she heard a clicking sound when he put his hand in his hoodie pocket. After an investigation of surveillance footage, police determined the suspect to be Pichardo. Officials went to his address in the 900 block of Van Wie Avenue and talked to the woman whose name was listed as the owner of the Sportage. She told authorities she had not seen the SUV since that night. Officers then responded to a house in the 3300 block of Cottonwood Street where they found the vehicle used in the robbery parked in the garage. Pichardo was eventually taken into custody after attempting to run from officials. Pichardo admitted to police he robbed the gas station for two Monster energy drinks, two packs of Newport cigarettes and all the money in the register, but denied having a firearm. The suspect told authorities he used the money to buy $40 worth of crack cocaine. Officers recovered the stolen items and money from the residence on Cottonwood. Pichardo is charged with robbery and aggravated robbery while indicating possession of a firearm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
08-02-2025
- New York Times
Girl, 6, Is Dead After Being Found in a Water-Filled Bathtub, Police Say
A 6-year-old girl died on Friday after being found unconscious in a bathtub filled with water at a Brooklyn apartment, the police said. The cause of the girl's death was unclear. She had blood clots in her eyes when the officers found her, suggesting the possibility of a struggle, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation. Officials did not identify the girl, and the police said Friday night that the investigation into her death was continuing. The medical examiner's office was conducting an autopsy, a spokeswoman said. Officers answering a 911 call for help at a home on Elton Street in the Highland Park section found the girl at around 1:30 p.m., the police said. Her parents were home at the time, the police said. Emergency services workers took the girl to Brookdale Hospital, where she was pronounced dead just before 3 p.m., the police said. Several hours later, two officers stood watch in the darkness outside the gated entrance to the small, two-story brick duplex where the girl had been found, on a residential block not far from the elevated J train tracks. Investigators filed in and out of the building's basement unit through an entrance under a staircase. A small Christmas tree was visible through a front window. Helen Cunningham, who lives across the street, said she had seen officers and emergency workers arrive at the home at around 2 p.m. After a while, she said, they had brought out a small girl on a stretcher, her head visible from beneath the sheet covering her. 'I don't know if she was alive,' Ms. Cunningham, 74, said. She said that the man she knew as the girl's father had climbed into a second ambulance that followed the one carrying the girl. Some time later, she said, she saw the police leading a young woman away in handcuffs. She said it was the second time in the past week she had seen officers at the address. Ms. Cunningham said she knew the family as neighbors but not by name. 'We're not friends,' she said. She said that two or three children lived at the home and that she had seen the man taking them to school. She said the family had moved into the home within the past few months from a building across the street. The man Ms. Cunningham identified as the father worked at a Bravo supermarket around the corner, according a manager there, Emmanuel Pichardo. Mr. Pichardo said that the father, who has worked at the store for two years and whom he knew only as George, had texted him in Spanish shortly after 4 p.m. to say he would not be coming to work because his daughter had been killed. 'I'm going crazy,' the father said in the messages, which Mr. Pichardo shared with a reporter. 'I'm here until God gives a miracle. I don't know what to do.'
CBS News
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Pennsylvania tattoo artist makes Philadelphia Eagles pride permanent for fans
At Swagga House tattoo studio in Elkins Park, Philadelphia Eagles fans are making their team pride permanent. Ron Pichardo, a North Philadelphia native and tattoo artist, has made a name for himself by inking elaborate Eagles-themed tattoos. For Pichardo, the artwork represents the ultimate display of Eagles pride. "You gotta say it for life and wear it on your skin," Pichardo said. "So I feel like this is the ultimate commitment as a fan." Pichardo considers himself a big Eagles fan, too, but his brothers took different paths. "One is a Dallas fan, the other one's a Patriots fan … go figure," he said. On Wednesday, Pichardo was busy working on Eric Piehl from Port Richmond. "It felt like the right time to do it," Piehl said about his decision to get an eagle tattooed on his left leg. "Why not? Super Bowl … just felt fitting." Piehl's not alone. According to Pichardo, whenever the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl, demand for Birds tattoos skyrockets. Fans from across the region and beyond seek him out. "I even had someone fly in from Germany to get one," he said. Pichardo's work has gained national attention. After the Eagles' 2018 Super Bowl victory, ESPN ranked one of his tattoos second among the top 10 Eagles Super Bowl tattoos. "That was a highlight," Pichardo said. Beyond tattooing, Pichardo also expresses his Eagles devotion through other visual art. He designs and sells custom clothing, including a shirt created for this year's Super Bowl called "Bird Gang Revenge," which features an eagle tearing apart a red helmet. "That's how I feel," Pichardo said. "And I'm pretty sure that's how everybody in Philadelphia feels. It's revenge time, all right?" His approach to art mirrors the discipline of an athlete. A marathon runner himself, Pichardo said he often imagines what the Eagles players experience on game day. "I know adrenaline is pumping crazy and all. You can get in your head pretty bad about a race. So they're probably going through it, but once that ball snaps, I'm sure it's just like tunnel vision," he said. That vision became reality once he completed his tattoo on Piehl — an eagle, quite literally, bleeding green.
