MIAMI—Miami Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia responded to Democratic Senator Jason Pizzo's criticism of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles after posting videos showing long wait times at one of its locations.
In messages to The Floridian, Garcia explained the Senate allocated an "additional $7.5 million" in October to assist the DMV, indicating recognition of their needs. In part, Garcia noted the COVID-19 pandemic and thousands of people moving to Florida put added strain on the department.
In the videos, several people can be seen waiting in long lines at the department. It also appears that many waited overnight with some even sitting on the ground.
"Time to get back to government basics. Ridiculously long lines like these at our @FLHSMV locations are completely unacceptable," Sen. Pizzo said. "The legislature needs to fund the agency properly - we swelled to nearly 800 vacant positions - far too few DL examiners to staff basic services."
Garcia, who represents Senate District 36, indicated that the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reportedly exceeded its budget, which may explain its operation and funding shortages as depicted in the videos.
She also noted the department currently operates under the FHP but that would change this year. Moving forward, the DMV will be under the oversight of the tax collector's office.
Garcia added efforts were being made to facilitate the transition, including "providing resources to ensure a smooth changeover."
"David Kerner [the] director at the DMV is wonderful! He's had his hands tied," Garcia told The Floridian Press. "President [Ben] Albritton made it a point to address this issue when we first addressed how bad it was and realized that it was an issue created by FHP. We are very lucky to have President Albritton."
In November, Pizzo was named Senate Democratic Senate Democratic Leader for the 2024-2026 Legislative term. A former Miami-Dade prosecutor, Pizzo will succeed Lauren Book in the position.
Pizzo, 48, represents Senate District 37 which covers part of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. In November, he handily defeated Republican candidate Imtiaz Mohammad by over 16 points in the SD 37 general election.
Well-established in the Florida Democratic Party, Pizzo has been floated as a potential 2026 gubernatorial candidate with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis term-limited.
In a recent comment to The Floridan's Javier Manjarres, Pizzo said national Democrats were "completely out of touch" after losing the Presidency, the U.S. Senate, and failing to flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2024 general election.
