Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Information of Interest About Driver Licenses and Identification Cards - November 2010

HELP YOURSELF AND OTHERS: Florida residents wishing to obtain a new driver license or identification card, legally change their name prior to their renewal date, or immediately replace a lost or stolen license or ID card, need to come prepared with the proper documentation. The time you and others will spend completing a transaction at the first office visit is directly related to having the required proper documentation. The complete list of acceptable documents is available online at http://www.gathergoget.com./ Here is a summary of the requirements:

1) Identification – A certified U.S. birth certificate (hospital birth certificates are not accepted); a valid U.S. passport; a consular Report of Birth Abroad; a certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570); or a certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561).
2) Social Security Number – Card, W-2 form, paycheck or any 1099 form.
3) Residential Address – Two (2) items mailed to you that contain your address. Acceptable is a mortgage statement, voter ID card, a utility bill or a car insurance policy.

Anyone who has changed their name must bring marriage certificates, court orders or divorce decrees to connect the name on the primary identification to the name of the customer and the name in which the license or ID card will be issued.

Immigrants and non-immigrants can secure a complete list of documents to bring to one of our offices by visiting http://www.gathergoget.com/, or http://www.reunavengaobtenga.com/ in Spanish, or http://www.rasanblealepran.com/ in Creole.

BE INFORMED BEFORE YOU COME: DHSMV continues its focus on a campaign dedicated to assisting Floridians with new driver license and identification card requirements. DHSMV encourages all Floridians to gather your documents, go to a driver license office and get your new card. http://www.gathergoget.com%20/will enable residents to:
• Determine when they will need to visit a driver license or tax collector’s office.
• Create a personalized checklist detailing documents they will need.
• Obtain contact information showing where to get required documents.
• Browse a list of driver license offices in their local area.

The campaign and its tools are also available in Spanish at http://www.reunavengaobtenga.com/ and in Creole at http://www.rasanblealepran.com./

BIRTH CERTIFICATES FROM PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico birth certificates will continue being valid until September 30, 2010. New birth certificates began to be issued on July 1, 2010 and will have indefinite validity. More information on developments regarding Puerto Rican birth certificates is available on the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) web site at http://www.prfaa.com./

GET AN APPOINTMENT, SAVE TIME! All customers who must visit one of our offices to renew, replace, or file a change of address to their driver license or identification card, are urged to secure an appointment prior to their visit. Connect via Internet at http://www.flhsmv.gov/oasis%20for an appointment to greatly reduce the length of the visit. Also link to the on-line pre-application and complete it before coming to one of our offices.

EMERGENCY CONTACT REGISTRATION: DHSMV’s award-winning Emergency Contact Information program, a tool that law enforcement can use to quickly contact loved ones in case of an accident. The system allows licensed drivers and identification card holders to submit two contacts to notify in the event of an emergency. The information can then be accessed only by law enforcement officers to find designated contacts in case of emergency. Visit www.flhsmv.gov/eci to register your Emergency Contact Information.

KEY INFORMATION FOR PARENTS ON TEEN DRIVING: The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has a parents section on its teen driving website www.flhsmv.gov/teens. The website provides parents with useful information to help them teach their teens to become safe drivers. Florida’s graduated driver licensing program allows teens to obtain a learner’s permit at age 15, which restricts them to driving only under certain conditions with a licensed adult. Other restrictions apply to teens with an operator’s license until their 18th birthday.

The website aims to ensure that both parents and teens have a complete understanding of the law, an explanation of each phase of the graduated licensing program and the related restrictions. Certain behaviors are associated with the cause of the high fatality rate of teen drivers including: inexperience and immaturity combined with speed, alcohol consumption, not wearing seatbelts, distractions, drowsiness, and driving when visibility is limited. The website includes a driving guide and a driving log to track the 50 hours of practice that teens must record to obtain their intermediate operator’s license. To visit the website, please go to: www.flhsmv.gov/teens.

OFFICE SCHEDULE: Driver license offices in Florida are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Testing guidelines, that continue to provide excellent customer service, call for the start of the last oral examination and CDL test to begin each day at 3:30 p.m. The last written examinations and driving tests begin each day at 4:30 p.m. Please check our website at www.flhsmv.gov/offices/ for the most up-to-date information on office locations and schedules.

CUSTOMER SERVICE INITIATIVE: The Division of Driver Licenses has implemented a Customer Service Initiative named “Miami CSI.” Members from the Department proactively joined together to address the increased customer wait times in many of our offices in Miami-Dade and some parts of Broward Counties. Volunteers from other offices around the state the Division worked together to heighten customer service by assisting with screening documents, administering driving tests and issuing credentials.


The Department has developed a strategic long-term plan to address the increased customer volume and wait times in offices, which includes quickly filling personnel vacancies in that area, moving personnel vacancies from other areas of the state to ensure adequate permanent staffing coverage. In a few of the offices, there were over 100 customers waiting when the office opened its doors. As a result, those offices began opening a half hour earlier, to try and accommodate those customers more quickly. Thanks to all the members who work so hard each day throughout the state, and all of our members who volunteered to travel to South Florida to pitch in!

You Snooze, You Lose – Don’t Drive Drowsy


You Snooze, You Lose – Don’t Drive Drowsy

A Florida family turns their tragedy into a campaign to save lives.

Driver fatigue leads to 1,550 fatalities and 71,000 crashes each year in the United States. While those numbers may seem like boring statistics, it is more than that to Ronshay Dugans’ family. It is a sad reality.

In 2008, a driver fell asleep at the wheel of a cement truck in Tallahassee and slammed into the bus carrying 8-year-old Ronshay.  While Ronshay’s death is a tragedy, her family wants to share it so that other families do not have to suffer a loss like the one they have. They worked with State Rep. Alan Williams to champion new legislation to create the Ronshay Dugans Act. The Act designates the first week of September as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week in Florida.   

This special week brings attention to the public safety issue at a critical time when millions of motorists are planning long weekend road trips for the Labor Day holiday. To remind motorists of their responsibility as a driver to be alert and sober behind the wheel, Florida’s departments of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and of Transportation have teamed up with Representative Williams and Ronshay’s family to launch a public awareness and education campaign. The campaign theme, You Snooze, You Lose – Don’t Drive Drowsy, uses an old adage in its literal interpretation to remind drivers of the potential consequences that falling asleep at the wheel can have.

Do you know whose eyelids are most at-risk of dropping anchor while at the wheel? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers in the following three groups pose the highest risk of drowsy driving:

·         Young people (ages 16 to 29), especially males.

·         Shift workers whose sleep is disrupted by working at night or working long or irregular hours.

·         People with untreated sleep apnea syndrome and narcolepsy.

Regardless of a driver’s vocation, age, sex, health condition or other characteristics, any driver can become overconfident and fall victim to driving while drowsy – regardless of the time of day.  Measures that drivers can take to arm themselves against the Sandman are:

  • Catch some ZZZZ’s before you get behind the wheel. A good night’s sleep goes a long way to prevent drowsy driving.

  • Bring a buddy. By having another driver on board, you have someone to share the driving responsibilities and help keep one another alert.

  • Take a break. Stopping to get out and stretch your legs every few hours or even to catch a quick nap will help you recharge your battery.

  • Drive sober. Alcohol and driving never mix. Also, heed prescription medication labels and any warnings that say they may make you drowsy.

Fatigue and drowsiness can impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, which not only puts you and your passengers at risk, but also it places everyone else on the road with you at-risk. For more information about drowsy driving and the campaign, visit www.dot.state.fl.us/safety and remember – You Snooze, You Lose – Don’t Drive Drowsy.

Modesto W. Burgos
Community Liaison
DHSMV / DDL

Get the information you need and save a trip! Visit www.GatherGoGet.com
¡Obtenga la información que necesita y ahórrese un viaje! Visite www.ReunaVengaObtenga.com
Vini ak bon dokiman yo epi w ap fé ekonomi yon dezyém vwayaj ¡ www.RasanbleAlePran.com


The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is committed to Service, Integrity, Courtesy, Professionalism, Innovation and Excellence in all we do. Please let us know how we are doing via our online customer service survey at www.flhsmv.gov.
 

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Aug 26 @6.30pm - European Networking Reception

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO SIGN SISTER CITIES AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF PRAGUE

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO SIGN SISTER CITIES AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF PRAGUE

(MIAMI, August 17, 2010) – Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas will participate in a ceremony to sign a Sister Cities agreement between Miami-Dade County and the City of Prague, Czech Republic on Wednesday, August 18, 2010.  She will be representing Mayor Carlos Alvarez.  A delegation from the Prague City Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee will be in Miami from August 15-18 for the Sister Cities affiliation signing ceremony.  The delegation is being led by City of Prague Commissioner, Chair of the Prague Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mayor of Prague District 6, Mr. Tomas Chalupa who is being joined by City of Prague Commissioner, and Prague Foreign Affairs Committee member Ms. Martina Sandova.  While in Miami, the delegation will also meet with representatives from Miami International Airport, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts to begin exploring avenues for future cultural and economic cooperation.

The completion of this agreement is a direct result of a business development mission to Prague in May 2008 led by Chair of the Jay Malina International Trade Consortium (now Office of Economic Development and International Trade) Commissioner Natacha Seijas to explore ways in which to increase bilateral trade, and strengthen cultural and economic ties between Prague and Miami-Dade County.  One of the principal objectives of this mission, which is now coming to fruition, was to realize a Sister Cities affiliation with the City of Prague; the first Sister Cities association with an Eastern European city. 

Following this mission, the Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution on November 20, 2008 expressing a desire to establish a Sister Cities relationship with the City of Prague.  On July 13, 2010, the Prague City Assembly passed a resolution recommending the affiliation.  “Both our communities share similar values and there is already a strong bond between the people of Miami-Dade County and the Czech Republic.  I look forward to a fruitful and valuable relationship that will be of benefit to our communities.  And, I am honored to be taking part in the signing of this historic agreement on behalf of Miami-Dade County,” Commissioner Seijas said.

WHO:                         Miami-Dade County and the City of Prague

WHAT                        Sister Cities Affiliation Signing Ceremony

WHEN:                      August 18, 2010 – 10:00 am

WHERE:                    Stephen P. Clark Center
                                 Mayor’s Conference Room #29-A
                                 111 NW 1st Street
                                 Miami, FL  33128

It is the policy of Miami-Dade County to comply with all of the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.  The facility is ADA accessible.  For sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices or materials in accessible format, please call 305-644-5127 at least five days in advance.

# # #

OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Stephen P. Clark Center
111 NW 1st Street, Suite 2200
Miami, FL 33128
(305) 375-1254

Friday, July 30, 2010

Information of Interest About Driver Licenses and Identification Cards

DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS NOW: Florida residents wishing to obtain a new driver license or identification card, legally change their name prior to their renewal date, or immediately replace a lost or stolen license or ID card, are required to visit a driver licenses office and show the following:


1) Identification – A certified U.S. birth certificate (hospital birth certificates are not accepted); a valid U.S. passport; a consular Report of Birth Abroad; a certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570); or a certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561).
2) Social Security Number – Card, W-2 form, paycheck or any 1099 form.
3) Residential Address – Two (2) items mailed to you that contain your address. Acceptable is a mortgage statement, voter ID card, a utility bill or a car insurance policy.

Anyone who has changed their name must bring marriage certificates, court orders or divorce decrees to connect the name on the primary identification to the name of the customer and the name in which the license or ID card will be issued. The complete list of acceptable documents is available online at http://www.gathergoget.com/.

Immigrants and non-immigrants can secure a complete list of documents to bring to one of our offices by visiting http://www.gathergoget.com/, or www.ReunaVengaObtenga.com in Spanish, or http://www.rasanblealepran.com/ in Creole.

PUERTO RICO EXTENDS VALIDITY OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES: The Governor of Puerto Rico has signed into law an extension of validity for current Puerto Rico birth certificates. Puerto Rico birth certificates, which were scheduled to become invalid July 1, 2010, will now continue being valid until Sept. 30, 2010. New birth certificates will begin being issued on July 1, 2010 as originally planned, and will have indefinite validity. More information on developments regarding Puerto Rican birth certificates is available on the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) web site at http://www.prfaa.com/.

WHERE TO GET ASSISTANCE: DHSMV continues its focus on GatherGoGet, a campaign dedicated to assisting Floridians with new driver license and identification card requirements. The campaign’s website is designed to help residents understand the new requirements. DHSMV encourages all Floridians to gather your documents, go to a driver license office and get your new card. The website, www.GatherGoGet.com, will enable residents to:

• Determine when they will need to visit a driver license or tax collector’s office.
• Create a personalized checklist detailing documents they will need.
• Obtain contact information showing where to get required documents.
• Browse a list of driver license offices in their local area.
The campaign and its tools are also available in Spanish at http://www.reunavengaobtenga.com/ and in Creole at http://www.rasanblealepran.com/.


EMERGENCY CONTACT REGISTRATION: DHSMV’s award-winning Emergency Contact Information program, a tool that law enforcement can use to quickly contact loved ones in case of an accident. The system allows licensed drivers and identification card holders to submit two contacts to notify in the event of an emergency. The information can then be accessed only by law enforcement officers to find designated contacts in case of emergency. Visit www.flhsmv.gov/eci to register your Emergency Contact Information.


GET AN APPOINTMENT, SAVE TIME! All customers who must visit one of our offices to renew, replace, or file a change of address to their driver license or identification card, are urged to secure an appointment prior to their visit. Connect via Internet at http://www.flhsmv.gov/oasis for an appointment to greatly reduce the length of the visit. Also link to the on-line pre-application and complete it before coming to one of our offices.

OFFICE SCHEDULE: Driver license offices in Florida are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Testing guidelines, that continue to provide excellent customer service, call for the start of the last oral examination and CDL test to begin each day at 3:30 p.m. The last written examinations and driving tests begin each day at 4:30 p.m. Please check our website at www.flhsmv.gov/offices/ for the most up-to-date information on office locations and schedules.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

34th Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Central America

34th Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Central America


Washington, DC -- Caribbean Central American Action (CCAA) is pleased to announce that the 34th Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Central America will take place from December 1 to December 3, 2010, at the InterContinental Hotel in Miami, Florida.

Now in its 34th year, the Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Central America is the most recognized forum for business and trade policy discussions focusing on the Caribbean Basin. The Conference brings together leaders of government, business and civil society from around the hemisphere and beyond, and serves as an annual opportunity to learn about the issues affecting the region, and to network with the people who help to shape its economic development.

Special early bird registration rates are now available, as well as a draft agenda and a description of the sponsorship opportunities.

For more information:
http://www.c-caa.org/.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

DHSMV Community Update / Informe Comunitario - July 2010 sobre licencias de conducir y I.D. Cards

DHSMV Community Update / Informe Comunitario - July 2010

DOCUMENTOS CORRECTOS FACILITAN EL PROCESO: Luego de tomar efecto a principio de año los nuevos requisitos de documentación para los residentes de la Florida que deseen obtener una licencia de conducir o tarjeta de identificaron, el Departamento de Seguridad en Carreteras y Vehículos Motorizados ha emitido más de 1.3 millones de nuevas tarjetas con la estrella dorada, la cual indica el pleno cumplimiento con los nuevos requisitos de identificación de la ley Real ID.

Aquellos que quieran obtener una nueva licencia, cambiar su nombre legalmente antes de su fecha de renovación, o reemplazar de inmediato una licencia o tarjeta de identificación robada o extraviada, tendrán que visitar una oficina de la licencia de conducir y mostrar la siguiente documentación:

1) Identificación – Una partida de nacimiento certificada (certificados de nacimiento de un hospital no es aceptado); un pasaporte válido de USA; un reporte consular de USA de nacimiento en el extranjero; un certificado de naturalización (Formulario N-550 o N-570); o un certificado de ciudadanía (Formulario N-560 o N-561).
2) Número de Seguro Social – La tarjeta de SSN, un formulario W-2, comprobante de un cheque de nomina o cualquier formulario 1099.
3) Dirección residencial – Dos (2) documentos que hayan sido enviados por correo a usted los cuales reflejen su dirección. Aceptables son una factura de hipoteca, una tarjeta de inscripción de votante, una cuenta de un servicio público (luz, teléfono, agua) o una póliza de seguro de auto.

Toda persona que haya cambiado su nombre tendrá que presentar un certificado de matrimonio, una orden judicial o un decreto de divorcio que establezca una conexión en la identificación primaria con el nombre del cliente y el nombre en el cual se emitiría la licencia de conducir o tarjeta de identificación. La lista completa esta disponible en www.ReunaVengaObtenga.com.

Inmigrantes y no-inmigrantes pueden obtener una lista completa de los documentos aptos para presentar a una de nuestras oficinas visitando www.ReunaVengaObtenga.com en español, o www.GatherGoGet.com en inglés, o www.rasanblealepran.com en creole.

Todos los residentes de la Florida no son requeridos a visitar una oficina de licencia de conducir o del recaudador de impuestos. Los Floridanos pueden verificar cuando tienen que ir a una oficina con los documentos requeridos visitando www.ReunaVengaObtenga.com en español, o www.GatherGoGet.com en inglés, o www.rasanblealepran.com en creole.

¡HAGA UNA CITA Y AHORRE TIEMPO!: Se les insta a las personas que tengan que visitar una de nuestras oficinas para efectuar una transacción relacionada con la licencia de conducir o tarjeta de identificación que obtengan una cita previa para ser atendidas eficientemente. Haga una cita vía Internet y reduzca el tiempo de espera. Haga su cita en: http://www.flhsmv.gov/oasis. Luego, complete el formulario disponible en español mediante el sitio Web on-line pre-application , imprímalo y tráigalo cuando visite la oficina en la cual concertó la cita.

INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LA DOCUMENTACIÓN: El Departamento continúa con su esfuerzo informativo promoviendo Reúna. Venga. Obtenga, una campaña educativa para asistir a los floridanos a familiarizarse con los requisitos sobre las licencias de conducir y tarjetas de identificación (ID). El sitio Web de la campaña esta diseñado para ayudar a los residentes a entender los nuevos requisitos. El Departamento está exhortando a los floridanos a visitar www.ReunaVengaObtenga.com para explicarles cómo reunir sus documentos, venir a una oficina de la licencia de conducir, y obtener su nueva tarjeta. El sitio Web le permitirá a los residentes:
Determinar cuándo necesitarán visitar una oficina de la licencia de conducir o una oficina del recaudador de impuestos.
Crear una lista de comprobación personalizada detallando los documentos que necesitan.
Obtener información sobre donde obtener los documentos requeridos.
Revisar la lista de oficinas de la licencia de conducir en su área local.

La campaña esta también disponible en inglés visitando www.GatherGoGet.com, así como en creole visitando www.RasanbleAlePran.com.

PUERTO RICO EXTIENDE VALIDEZ DE CERTIFICADOS DE NACIMIENTO: El gobernador de Puerto Rico ha firmado una ley que extiende la validez de los actuales certificados de nacimiento de Puerto Rico. Los certificados de nacimiento de Puerto Rico, los cuales iban a ser invalidados el 1ro de julio del 2010, continuaran siendo válidos hasta el 30 de septiembre del 2010. Nuevos certificados de nacimiento comenzaran a ser emitidos el 1ro de julio del 2010, como originalmente planeado, y tendrán valides indefinida. Más información sobre los certificados de nacimiento de Puerto Rico esta disponible en el sitio Web de la Administración de Asuntos Federales de Puerto Rico, www.prfaa.com.

REDUCCIÓN EN FATALIDADES DE TRÁNSITO: Más vidas que nunca están siendo salvadas en carreteras de la Florida. El estado ha anunciado la más faja tasa de fatalidades de tránsito en el 2009. La tasa en la Florida descendió a 1.3 fatalidades por 100 millones de millas viajadas, la más baja alguna vez reportada en nuestro estado. Accidentes causaron 2,563 fatalidades entre los motoristas en el 2009 – 420 menos que en el 2008. Esto marca el cuarto año consecutivo que la Florida ha experimentado una reducción y los oficiales de seguridad en carreteras acreditan a la ley primaria de los cinturones de seguridad por la reducción el año pasado en el número de fatalidades.

REGISTRO DE CONTACTOS DE EMERGENCIA: El programa nacionalmente premiado de DHSMV de Contacto de Información de Emergencia, un instrumento que las agencias del cumplimiento de la ley pueden usar para contactar a seres queridos en caso de accidente, ya tiene más de 3 millones de Floridanos inscritos. El programa le permite a los portadores de licencias de conducir o tarjetas de identificación someter dos contactos a notificar en caso de una emergencia. La información puede ser revisada solamente por oficiales del cumplimiento de la ley designados a localizar los contactos en archivo en caso de emergencia. Para inscribir su Información de Contactos de Emergencia, visite www.flhsmv.gov/eci.

NUESTRO HORARIO: Las oficinas de Licencia de Conducir de la Florida están abiertas de lunes a viernes de 8 AM hasta las 5 PM. Nuevas pautas de exámenes dedicadas a mantener un excelente nivel de servicio al cliente establecen que la ultima prueba oral o de licencia comercial CDL de cada día comenzará a las 3:30 PM. El último examen escrito y prueba práctica de conducir del día comenzaran a las 4:30 PM. Para la información más corriente sobre horario y localización de nuestras oficinas, visite nuestro sitio en Internet: www.flhsmv.gov/offices/

ACEPTAMOS TARJETAS DE CRÉDITO: ¡Las oficinas de licencias de conducir aceptan tarjetas de crédito! Las tarjetas de crédito que son aceptadas incluyen MasterCard, American Express y Discover. Nosotros continuamos recomendándoles a todos nuestros clientes que eviten un viaje a nuestras oficinas simplemente visitando nuestro sitio en español en Internet www.MiLicencia.info, o www.GoRenew.com en ingles, y utilicen nuestros servicios electrónicos para renovar las licencias de conducir, tarjetas de identificación, placas de vehículos.

Para una lista completa de los todos los nuevos cargos por servicios a los motoristas, incluyendo los cargos anteriores y cuando fue su cambio más reciente, por favor haga “clic” aquí.

Una combinación de información específica a cada vehículo se usa para determinar los cargos de registración. Dicha información incluye el uso, el tipo de placa y el código de su clasificación. El código de la clasificación es determinado por el peso del vehículo, el tipo de carrocería, el tipo de vehículo y el uso de su registración. Para ver ejemplos, haga “clic” aquí.

Para revisar las preguntas y respuestas sobre los nuevos cargos de la Florida, haga “clic” aquí.

¡Abróchese siempre el cinturón de seguridad!