Suspended in the Sunshine State
Ending the Unfair Practice of Driver's License Suspension for Unpaid Fines and Fees
It’s time to stop suspending people’s driver's licenses just because they don’t have money.
These suspensions are because of unpaid fines and fees—not for dangerous driving.
Losing your driver’s license means losing out on opportunity.
Without a license, people can’t drive to work, take their children to school, or get an elderly parent to the doctor. Businesses are deprived of a reliable workforce. People can't earn the money they need to pay the fines and fees to get their license back.
Here’s what people have to say:
There is a better way:
▶ Eliminate suspensions for unpaid fines and fees
▶ Offer reasonable payment plans that let people pay over time
▶ Focus suspensions on keeping dangerous drivers off the road
Fixing the license suspension problem in Florida will have a positive impact on every community.
Scroll though these maps and click on each county to see how driver’s license suspension is impacting communities across Florida.
Hover over this icon in the lower-left corner of each map for a detailed legend.
Click on the plus sign in the lower-right corner to zoom in and see county names.
Of the almost 16 million licensed drivers in Florida, more than 2 million have a suspended license.
Click the red symbol to see the total number of suspensions in each county.
While the majority of suspensions happen in urban areas, drivers in some rural areas are suspended at some of the highest rates in the state.
In some rural counties, 25% of drivers are suspended.
Click on a county to find out the percentage of drivers that have their license suspended.
Approximately 1.6 million driver’s license suspension notices are sent out each year.
1.1 million are for unpaid fines and fees.
Only 3% of driver’s license suspension notices (red dots) are for dangerous or unsafe driving.
Suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fines and fees is not about safety.
It’s a failed experiment in generating revenue.
The way it is now, Florida’s stiff fines and fees total hundreds and even thousands of dollars—too much for many Floridians to be able to pay in a short time frame.
The idea was that a driver’s license is so important the threat of suspension would make people pay their fines and fees. But it turns out, people simply don’t have the money to pay, and the suspensions are just making it worse.
Every county in Florida is being harmed by this counterproductive practice.
Low-income and working people are hit the hardest.
People are losing their licenses and can’t even drive to work to pay off their fines and fees. Instead, these driver’s license suspensions are creating a cycle of poverty and punishment that becomes nearly impossible to escape.
The system is broken.
It's no surprise that driver's license suspension due to unpaid fines and fees is linked to income.
Click on a county to see how poverty and suspension rates compare in each county.
In 26 of Florida’s 67 counties, a median income family may still struggle to meet their basic needs—food, childcare, housing, transportation and other necessities.
The ALICE Report found 46% of Floridians struggle to meet their basic needs. Everywhere in Florida, low-income families can’t make ends meet.
For these families, a driver’s license suspension is devastating.
Click on the circles to see how discretionary income and suspension rates compare in each county.
Note: Discretionary income was calculated by subtracting the living wage from the median income.
It is past time to end the practice of suspending licenses for unpaid fines and fees.
There is a better way:
▶ Eliminate suspensions for not having enough money
▶ Offer reasonable payment plans that let people pay over time
▶ Focus suspensions on keeping dangerous drivers off the road
Work with us to stop suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fines and fees. Here's how:
Tell your legislators that driver’s license suspension for unpaid fines and fees is counterproductive and needs to end.
Find your legislator and ask them to support Senate Bill 1328 and House Bill 903 .
Have your business, church, or other organization join the campaign.
If you have experienced driver’s license suspension due to unpaid fines and fees,
Learn more.
Watch our video .
Read our one-pager on the costly impacts to Floridians and Florida businesses.
Read our statewide report (linked below):
Credits
Demographic data are from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Suspension data were provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and include those listed in the 2019 Annual Licensed Driver Report and data received as of October 2019. Public benefits data are from Florida Department of Children & Families . Living wage data are from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator and have been used with permission from Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier. Cover photo is by Pontus Wellgraf on Unsplash . U.S. currency photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash .
About FFJC
Fines & Fees Justice Center (FFJC) is a national center for advocacy, information, and collaboration on effective solutions to the unjust and harmful imposition and enforcement of fines and fees in the justice system. FFJC’s mission is to create a justice system that treats individual’s fairly, ensures public safety and is funded equitably. FFJC works with justice system stakeholders and affected communities to end abusive collection practices, eliminate fees in the justice system, and make fines proportional to the offense and the individual.
In the Media
Tallahassee Democrat: Suspension of driver’s license for unpaid fines, fees counterproductive
Tampa Bay Times (Editorial): For Florida drivers, there has to be a better way than interminable license suspensions
Orlando Sentinel (Editorial): Stop suspending Florida drivers licenses because of unpaid tickets and fees.
