Miami-Dade County tax collector uncovers network of scalpers selling DMV appointments

An underground network of appointment scalpers operating in Miami-Dade County may soon set up their last Department of Motor Vehicle appointment.

The county's tax collector, Dariel Fernandez, who is now in charge of the DMV, said they have uncovered a network of scalpers that have been hoarding free slots.

According to Fernandez, bad actors book appointments online by using fake accounts and bots and then sell them at prices between $25 to $250.

He spoke with NBC6 on Tuesday.

"Today is a beautiful day for the residents of Miami-Dade," Fernandez said. "As I mentioned in my campaign, I'm here to protect my people and here to protect the residents of Miami-Dade County and for the first time in the history of Miami-Dade County, with the help of Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera, today was the first reading of an ordinance that is going to stop the people and the company that sells appointments to the residents of Miami-Dade County."

And this isn’t a new problem.

In 2022, NBC6 covered the same issue when the DMV was run by Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Video from Only in Dade shows the chaos of long lines back then.

Third-party sellers were using word of mouth to sell appointments at a hefty price.

This may be one of the reasons why DMV appointments have been so hard to get and why the long lines and wait times haven’t gone away as it has added barriers for the general public.

Fernandez explained how the ordinance will affect people who try to sell DMV appointments.

"The ordinance says if you do this, you are going to have $500 in fines or 60 days in jail," he said.

NBC6 spoke to a mother who had issues a few years ago trying to get a license for her teenage daughter, as well as people in line on Monday at the DMV.

“It was just a chaos," Jeannie Landizari said. "I was like, 'What is this?' It was a zoo. We’ve been at this for more than three months now. Since before her birthday, August, since July, trying to get this and there’s no way to make an appointment.”

"I wish there was a better system where you didn’t have to wait in line and people because if they’re doing that, it’s because there’s a point where there’s no system," said a woman. "It has to be a workable system that everybody can be served on time and everything will be done.”

NBC6 has reported about long lines at Miami-Dade DMV offices. Fernandez previously said they were working on increasing staff and investing in technology to tackle the sale of appointments in the black market.

While the act is not technically illegal, Fernandez is working with law enforcement in Miami-Dade to try and put an end to those fraudulent and exploitative methods, which include using technological means such as AI and facial recognition.

The Miami-Dade County Commission will meet on April 1 for the second reading of the ordinance and a vote will take place on whether to pass it.