Back on the Right Road with Let's Drive Jax!

In 2020 there were 2 million citations issued in Florida.  Nearly 71,000 traffic citations were issued in Florida for failure to pay traffic fines in 2021 according to a recent report published by News 4 Jax . 

Without a driver’s license it becomes difficult to work.  Working with the justice system and local agencies the Clerk’s Office of Duval County put together a program to help restore driver’s license privileges to get citizens legally back on the road in the inaugural LET’S DRIVE JAX campaign.

Creating Driving Opportunities

The combined effort of Duval County agencies are making a difference for citizens facing driving hardships.  Recognizing the need, bringing a coordinated solution, making it simple for citizens to participate were all key to Let’s Drive Jax success. 

 The event brought all agencies together so that citizens could directly work out their court requirements on a path towards license restoration.  The event was conducted over a two-week period in late October and early November and 1,070 citizens attended to resolve driving and citation challenges. 

The Judiciary, State Attorney, and Public Defender resolved 621 court cases during five days of dedicated court proceeding and 510 participants came into the Duval County Courthouse for in person assistance and 299 left with either a restored driver’s license or eligibility for reinstatement.

In addition to Let’s Drive Jax, Clerks state-wide have annually participated in coordinated Driver’s License events through Operation Green Light.  The annual initiative began in 2015.  The next Operation Green Light event is scheduled for March 26th through April 9th.

Don Murphy is the Principal and Senior Consultant for Compliance Improvement Services (CIS) which provides consulting and training for courts and local government.  He is a Fellow with the National Center for State Courts and has over 25 years of court administration experience.