Date: April 6, 2011 Contact: Anne M. Gannon
561-355-2805
DRIVER LICENSE APPOINTMENTS GO LIVE ON WEB
West Palm Beach – Anne M. Gannon, Constitutional Tax Collector, announces the launch of driver license appointments during a ceremony at her Royal Palm Beach Service Center this morning. “As of this morning, our appointment link is live,” said Gannon. “It’s easy. Just go to our website at www.taxcollectorpbc.com and click on the appointment button. This will lead you into the DMV appointment system.”
Many of Gannon’s Service Centers are dealing with long lines and extended wait times since the agency began offering full Driver License services the Fall of 2010. The Florida Legislature transferred the issuing of driver licenses to county tax collectors in the 2010 legislative session.
“No one likes to wait. The fact is that the new service requirement is bringing people into already crowded offices. Combine that with the new federal Real ID requirement and the result is long lines,” says Gannon. “I would like to thank the DMV for their assistance in bringing us into their appointment system.”
Driver License appointments are now available at each service center location with the exception of Lake Worth which does not offer driver license services. The public will be able to make an appointment up to three months in advance. “This is a great customer service tool for those who want to plan ahead. I just want to caution the public that appointments are not a panacea for a crowded office because the federal requirements require everyone to visit a center for Real ID compliant documents.” Gannon said. “There is no silver bullet here or believe me I would use it.”
Gannon has attacked wait times through efforts such as assigning staff to triage waiting lines so people without required documents are alerted and don’t stay in line, issuing instant Q- Flow tickets to those who are waiting for services other than driver licenses, encouraging the use of drop boxes and web payments, and offering automobile dealers an option to use a private titling company.
The “License to Drive” community awareness program was developed to help people better prepare for what the Tax Collector characterizes as a time consuming and often complicated process. Her multicultural “License to Drive” Toolkit includes a document organizer which lists the federally required documents, offers suggestions for replacement of lost or missing documents, and doubles as storage envelope. The toolkit includes useful checklists for U.S. citizens, non-citizens, immigrants and Canadians. The kits can be downloaded at www.taxcollectorpbc.com.