Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 4-1-22

Local
Operation Green Light Gives Public A Chance To Regain Driver’s Licenses
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Operation Green Light is an annual driver’s license re- instatement event mandated by the state of Florida. People with suspended driver’s li- censes due to unpaid traffic citations, court fees, and other violations get the op- portunity to take care of those issues and get their driver’s li- censes back.
Cindy Stuart, the County Clerk of Court & Comptroller for Hillsbo- rough County, states, “Oper- ation Green Light is an event to help people who have be- come trapped in a cycle of in- creasing fees and court costs.
“People cannot get to work, they cannot take their
children to school, and they cannot run the errands they need to for their families. Lack of a driver’s license puts people in a dire situation.”
“The goal is to get people back on the road and assist them with the fees and fines that prevent them from en- gaging in society.”
The program in Hillsbor- ough County is a little differ- ent than other counties in Florida due to the partner- ships formed to conduct the event.
“We work with our part- ners within the 13th Judicial Circuit, the State Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender as well as the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, to ensure our constituents have the best opportunity to get
CINDY STUART
... Hillsborough County Clerk Of Court &
Comptroller
back on the road.”
A judge will review the
driver’s case history and de- termine if any court fines or fees can be reduced. Driving and court records will be re-
viewed in advance. Qualified participants will receive a no- tice of a scheduled hearing in the mail.
Pre-registration is mandatory, and restrictions may apply. Suspensions for non-payment of child sup- port, driving under the influ- ence, felony traffic offenses, commercial driver’s licenses, and other situations are not eligible for participation.
Registration for the 2022 event runs until April 25th.
In 2021, Stuart says that they registered three hundred people out of nine hundred applicants. This year, 450 spots are available to the community.
The reinstatement court dates will be on May 5th,
12th, and 19th at the George. Edgecomb Court-house in Courtroom 21.
On May 5 and May 19, the “Florida Licensing on Wheels (FLOW) Bus” will be on-site on so people can get a driver’s license on the spot once court obligations are complete.
Another partner, the Hillsborough County Tax Collector, will also be on-site providing “fast passes” to reg- istrants who can visit the Tax Collector offices the same day in downtown Tampa. Pay- ments can also be made at https://www.hillsclerk.com, or by calling 813-276-8100.
To register and see if you qualify, go to https://www.hillsclerk.c om/Court-Services/Op- eration-Green-Light.
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 5-A