{"id":1504,"date":"2026-06-08T13:32:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1504"},"modified":"2026-06-08T13:32:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:32:02","slug":"miami-dade-coral-gables-crack-down-on-fraudulent-disability-permits-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1504","title":{"rendered":"Miami-Dade, Coral Gables crack down on fraudulent disability permits. What to know"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

As a parking enforcement officer peered into the windshield of a black Chevrolet Camaro parked along Miracle Mile on a recent weekday, he noticed that the handicapped permit information didn\u2019t match the expiration of the car\u2019s registration. He called it in to check.<\/p>\n

Read more Gas dips below $4 a gallon in South Florida. Check the prices in your area<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cDeceased since 2025,\u201d a supervisor confirmed on the phone. Someone else was using the still-active permit.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Coral Gables\u2019 parking department is joining forces with Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez on the hunt for fraudulent disability parking permits as his office prepares to release a new system this month that is meant to curb what they say is the growing abuse and misuse of the permits.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The likely reason for the abuse: Cars with valid disability permits get up to four hours of free metered parking in city spaces under Florida law, regardless of whether the spot is labeled as a disability space. People who park in a labeled disabled parking space often park closer to where they want to go, too.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Last year, Fernandez\u2019s office received about 100,000 applications for disability parking permits in the county. Of the 40,992 permits his office has audited so far, about 4,707, or just over 11%, were canceled for invalid claims. The permits were canceled for various reasons, including the registered permit holder being dead, potentially fraudulent applications, and incomplete or improperly submitted forms.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an issue, a problem, in Miami-Dade County,\u201d Fernandez told the Herald. \u201cMy message for the community is that if you don\u2019t need it, please don\u2019t use it, because it\u2019s a $1,000 fine, and you can also be imprisoned\u201d for abusing the permits.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The soon-to-be updated system in Miami-Dade will connect patients and doctors to the Tax Collector\u2019s Office and also to public and private tag agencies to make it easier for staff to verify applications and existing permits, according to Fernandez. The transition is expected to begin Monday.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to eliminate a lot of this fraud in our community,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It was important for Coral Gables to take a proactive approach, Mayor Vince Lago told the Herald in a statement, saying that he brought the issue to Fernandez\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate the Tax Collector\u2019s partnership and his commitment to reviewing and addressing potential abuse,\u201d Lago said. \u201cThis effort is about protecting access, promoting fairness and ensuring that disabled parking spaces are available for the people who truly need them.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cracking down on disability permit abuse in Coral Gables<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Fernandez\u2019s crackdown has spurred more aggressive enforcement measures across Coral Gables and other parts of the county to try and curb the abuse of a system that is meant to make it easier for people who cannot walk far distances to visit shops, restaurants and businesses. In the Gables, Parking Director Monica Beltran and her team of parking enforcers are on the watch for fake and altered disability permits. They\u2019re cracking down on people using permits that don\u2019t belong to them, too.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started to survey the use [of disability permits] on on-street parking, particularly in Miracle Mile, and what we found on one given day was that 30% of the vehicles that were parked on Miracle Mile had disabled placards,\u201d Beltran, the director of parking, sustainability and mobility services in Coral Gables, told the Herald.<\/p>\n

Read more Fort Lauderdale man dies in drowning, police say<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The impact: The \u201cturnover rate\u201d \u2014 or how quickly a parking session begins and ends in the city\u2019s on-street spaces \u2014 has \u201cdrastically dropped,\u201d indicating that people are staying longer in the short-term parking spots, according to Beltran. It\u2019s happening in areas where the city is spotting more and more people parking with disability permits, she said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe abuse continues to grow,\u201d Beltran said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It can be difficult to spot a dupe. But not if you know what to look for \u2014 a sticker hiding the permit\u2019s expiration date, the wrong identification number, a paper copy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Others permits are real but are being used illegally some or all of the time, according to Fernandez and Beltran.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Disability parking permits are assigned to a person, not a specific car. Under the law, the person assigned the permit must be in the car when it\u2019s parked and must also be in the car when the car leaves the space. It\u2019s illegal to use the disability parking permit when the person it\u2019s registered to is not with you, including if you drop off the person in front of a restaurant or store and then go park.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Disability parking permits are meant for people who are legally blind, use a wheelchair, or have another physical, neurological, orthopedic, cardiac, arthritic or lung condition that does not let them walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, according to state law. That includes people who use a portable oxygen tank or are unable to walk without the assistance of a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic or other assistive device.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Under Florida law, a person caught using someone\u2019s placard without the registered individual with them in the car, or using falsified information in an application to get a permit, could face fines of up to $1,000 and up to six months, or a year, in jail, respectively, according to the Ticket Clinic law firm.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Compliance is not always easy to enforce. First, parking enforcement officers need to verify the legitimacy of the permit. Permit verification can often be done through the windshield, Beltran explained. But to determine if the person assigned the placard is actually the driver or passenger \u2014 and, if not, to then confiscate the permit \u2014 usually means waiting around to catch them going to or from the car and then asking for paperwork to verify the permit.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That\u2019s expected to change under the new system, which will make it easier for code enforcers to pull up a permit, cancel it if needed and also fine the person, regardless of whether the person is present, according to Fernandez.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working closely with different municipalities, with the sheriff, with the state, to eliminate the fraud of the placard disability in Miami-Dade County,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lago said the city\u2019s approach is not meant to be punitive.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize that not all disabilities are visible, and our focus is not on making assumptions about individuals,\u201d he added. \u201cOur focus is on ensuring that permits are being used lawfully and only by those authorized to use them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Gas dips below $4 a gallon in South Florida. Check the prices in your area<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 8:41 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Coral Gables and Miami-Dade County boost enforcement after disability permit misuse on Miracle Mile, using a new verification system to curb fraud and fines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coral-gables"],"yoast_head":"\nMiami-Dade, Coral Gables crack down on fraudulent disability permits. 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