Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez announced today that his office has now audited 40,992 disabled parking permits and canceled 4,707 permits as part of a new data-driven fraud detection and compliance initiative.
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The review includes cross-checking permits against official records and identifying permits connected to deceased individuals, potentially fraudulent applications, incomplete or improperly submitted forms, and other discrepancies requiring corrective action.
“After reviewing more than 40,000 permits, one thing is clear: this system needed a serious cleanup,” said Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez. “Canceling 4,707 permits is not a paperwork exercise. It means thousands of permits that should not have remained active are being taken out of circulation.”
The Tax Collector’s Office is continuing to review records and expects additional permits may require action as the audit progresses.
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“When a disabled parking permit is issued or kept active based on bad information, the people who pay the price are the residents who truly need access,” Fernandez said. “This audit is about protecting those residents, strengthening the integrity of the system, and making sure these permits are reserved for the people they were created to help.”
The Tax Collector’s Office will continue working to identify permits that should no longer be active and will refer suspected fraud or abuse to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office when appropriate.
“Residents deserve a system that is fair, accurate, and properly monitored,” Fernandez said. “We are not waiting for problems to come to us. We are actively finding them, fixing them, and putting stronger safeguards in place.”
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