Should Florida end license plate decals? Here’s why the answer is complicated | Opinion
Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez is proposing the elimination of the yellow license plate registration stickers.
In a statement last week, Fernandez said, “the physical yellow decal is no longer needed. It fades, peels, gets stolen, and costs our residents’ money every year. Eliminating the physical decal is a common-sense step forward for our state, one that saves money, reduces fraud, and embraces the technology we already have.”
He makes a compelling argument. The proposal has merits, from cost savings to modernization to an easier process for Florida drivers, but it also raises concerns. Critics worry removing a visible decal would make law enforcement officials’ job harder because officers would have to manually verify a vehicle’s registration status. If drivers are less likely to get pulled over for an expired sticker, they may be less inclined to renew their registration.
That means Fernandez’s idea needs more discussion, and input from law enforcement should be crucial. As tax collector, Fernandez cannot do this alone. The state would have to take up his proposal.
From a fiscal perspective, eliminating the physical decals makes some sense, with savings for Miami-Dade estimated at roughly $2.5 million in production and mailing costs, according to Fernandez. He says law enforcement can use digital verification already available instead of the stickers. Florida wouldn’t be the first state to do this. Other states, such as Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Vermont, have already eliminated physical registration stickers.
But there’s reason to proceed with caution. In 2017, Georgia explored the elimination of license plate decals, but never moved forward with it because, among other reasons, the state wouldn’t necessarily eliminate annual registration fees, the Associated Press reported. Kevin Payne, president of the Georgia Association of Tax Officials, told the state Department of Revenue at the time, “I’m not really sure of the intent here. The fact that I would still have to pay the tax on my birthday, I’m not really saving anything except I don’t have to put the decal on my license plate.”
Payne has a point. Aside from convenience, it’s not clear what the other benefits or cost savings are for Florida drivers.
Pennsylvania provides another cautionary example. Two years after the state eliminated the license decals, the state House considered a bill to reinstate the decals. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Barry Jozwiak testified in 2018 during a hearing that the state Department of Transportation registered roughly 200,000 fewer vehicles during the first year without the decals.
Jozwiak pointed out that drivers were purposely dodging the registration requirement because they knew it would be hard to catch them. Ultimately, Pennsylvania didn’t move forward with reinstatement, but Florida should pay attention to the issues Jozwiak raised. What began as a cost-savings measure for the Keystone State has led to over $33 million of lost revenue from unregistered vehicles, according to Jozwiak.
During that same hearing in 2018, the director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Patrol said he initial had concerns about eliminating the registration decals. But he changed his mind because the state database was more reliable to check a vehicle’s registration status than trusting a physical decal that could be fake. But this doesn’t overwrite the compliance and revenue loss the state has experienced.
Fernandez’s proposal deserves a serious review and, if it gains traction, we expect law enforcement agencies will weigh in.
The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office told the Miami Herald Editorial Board in a Tuesday email that it “recognizes that changes to registration or compliance procedures are a normal part of reviewing business practices. Our deputies are trained to adapt, and we will continue working through any adjustments to ensure compliance and maintain public safety.”
Law enforcement shouldn’t have to only adjust, but have a say in the elimination of the decals.
While Fernandez has embraced technology to modernize his office, Florida should avoid quick fixes without understanding their real-world consequences.
Streamlining a governmental agency and reducing bureaucracy are great ways to move toward a more efficient and smaller government. But modernization shouldn’t come at the expense of enforcement, compliance or public safety. There’s a balance that must be struck between efficiency and accountability.
