Florida has an awful situation in its judicial codes resulting in driver’s license suspension for a huge array of offenses, really screwing up people’s lives. Until the Legislature rewrites the overly broad suspensions, Jess Irby, our Clerk of the Court, has instituted a program to help. Periodic clinics are run to assist people in getting their situations taken care of. Yeah, folks still need to pay the fines, but this program really helps navigate the process.
The next driver’s license restoration clinic is Friday, Feb. 21 at the Alachua County Courthouse. This is an opportunity for people with suspended, canceled or revoked driver licenses to meet with multiple agencies and work on getting their drivers licenses reinstated in a one stop event. The clinic only addresses driver’s license issues arising out of Alachua County. One can sign up by pre-registering online and selecting an appointment time for the event. The registration deadline is Jan. 24.
Participating agencies are the Alachua County Clerk of Court, Alachua County Tax Collector, Eighth Judicial Circuit, Eighth Circuit Public Defender, Eighth Circuit State Attorney, First District Office of Regional Counsel, Alachua County Court Services, Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Florida Department of Revenue, and the Florida Bureau of Administrative Review.
As a bonus, the Alachua County Clerk of Court will waive all collection agency fees on overdue court obligations, including traffic tickets, for clinic participants who pay the original obligation amount in full.
The Clerk’s website has registration information, or interested people can call 352-374-3636. And pass the word on to anyone you know who can be helped with this service.