With wait times at the Broward County's motor vehicle department office among the highest in Florida, state officials are trying to speed up service at its eight locations by adding staff and designating a "pit boss" to keep examiners working and the lines moving.
The so-called "pit boss" – or "pit bull" as some employees call it — is one of several ideas to emerge from a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles "customer service initiative" launched last year in Miami-Dade County, long the busiest region in the state.
But as waiting times for customers with appointments have dropped in Miami-Dade – to an average of just over 17 minutes during the three months ending in December – the time it takes for Broward County customers with appointments to come face-to-face with an examiner has grown to an average of more than 34 minutes, according to DMV officials.
"People with an appointment don't expect to wait more than 30 minutes," said department spokeswoman Courtney Heidelberg. "We certainly don't want to torture our customers. And nobody wants to stand in line."
Those who take their chances and show up without an appointment usually wait even longer, officials say.
In Palm Beach County, where the tax collector is taking over most driver license services, average waiting times are longer than in Broward or Miami-Dade counties. Tax Collector Anne Gannon said customers at the Delray Beach office routinely face waits of between two and four hours. Some of those waiting are Broward County residents who drive north think the wait will be shorter, she said.
"Miserable," said retired Delray Beach developer Sig Dubrow, summing up his experience Monday after spending about three hours of his 84th birthday to renew his license. "I don't know why it should take so long. I just think the system needs a lot of work."
A visit to the DMV has long been one of chief annoyances of modern life. The aggravation has only increased since January 2010, when in response to the 911 terrorist attacks the federal government began requiring those obtaining or renewing a license to have a Real ID.
Motorists must provide a primary form of identification such as a birth certificate or passport as well as a Social Security card or other document verifying their Social Security number under the Real ID requirements.
