Drivers often unaware of suspended licenses

Bill would reduce number of non-driving offenses

Nearly 2 million of more than 14 million registered drivers in Florida have suspended licenses, many for offenses that have nothing to do with driving.

Often they have no idea because notice of their suspensions are mailed to the address on their license, and often that is outdated. But if they are caught behind the wheel, they could land in jail, face a criminal record and a mountain of fees to pay.

“It seems very unfair to be driving on a suspended license with no knowledge of it,” said Ticket Clinic attorney Ted Hollander. “If it happens three times within five years, even if you paid the tickets, you can be [designated] a habitual traffic offender and have your license suspended for five years. Totally crazy.”

About 285,000 motorists with a suspended license in fiscal 2017 did not have a driving offense, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The bulk of them were suspended for failing to pay child support and failing to pay court fees and fines.

But the punishment is imposed myriad of other things, including: Missing an auto insurance payment; Not paying a red light camera ticket; Skipping traffic school; Missing a court date; Writing a check that bounces. Drivers under 18 can have their license suspended for truancy, sexting, tobacco and alcohol possession, vandalism and graffiti, and gun possession, among other things.

State Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St.Petersburg, thinks the punishment does not fit the offense.

“They get pulled over on a suspended driver’s license, they’re arrested and taken to jail, and that’s usually their first entry into the criminal justice system,” he said. for