Drivers who move fast can beat license, tag fee increases

Ronald Howard, a retired Orange County schools employee, doesn't like it that he and other Florida drivers soon will have to shell out a lot more money to get behind the wheel.

"I think we already pay entirely too much in fees and taxes," Howard said as he renewed the tags on his three vehicles. "It's ridiculous."

On Sept. 1, the fees for drivers-license renewals, annual vehicle registrations, license tags and many of the other costs associated with driving will rise significantly. For a medium-sized car weighing about 3,500 pounds, such as a 2007 four-door Acura, the annual registration fee will jump nearly 54 percent, from $46.80 to $71.85.

Now, the rush is on as many try to beat the increase. Residents whose birthdays fall between Aug. 1 and Nov. 30 can pay the current fees if they renew their tags and registration for up to two years. People also can renew their drivers licenses under the current rate if it expires within 18 months. Drivers must act quickly — the last day to pay the lower fees is Aug. 31.

The renewals can be made at county tax collector's offices in Central Florida or online at the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' Web site.

Saving money brought Howard of Mount Dora to the Lake County Tax Collector's Office this week to renew the registrations for his pickup, his wife's Chevy and the couple's motor home. A day earlier, he and his wife renewed their drivers licenses.

Howard draws most of his income from a limited pension and figured he saved nearly $200 by renewing early.


'No one wants to raise fees'


Legislators raised the fees as part of their budget-balancing act earlier this year. The higher fees are expected to generate $800 million in the next year from the nearly 18 million registered cars in the state.

Many of the fees haven't been increased in decades. The initial registration fee for a vehicle — last modified in 1989 — soars from $100 to $225.

State Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, who voted for the increases, said the state faced a $6.3 billion budget shortfall.

"No one wants to raise fees," Plakon said. "But given this kind of shortfall, the alternative would've been to shut down many, many kinds of services."

Plakon added that the motor-vehicle fees are "user fees" and that broader tax increases would affect everyone.

County tax collectors say they are trying to let people know they can save money by renewing before the end of the month.

Seminole County Tax Collector Ray Valdes said his office has posted the information on the agency's Web site, and included a flier with renewal-notice mailings. Orange County has done the same.

"We've been trying our best to encourage people" to renew before the Aug. 31 deadline, Valdes said.


'Now is not the time'


Lake County Tax Collector Bob McKee is not shy about voicing his thoughts about raising the fees during a recession.

"With the current state of the economy, now is not the time," McKee said. "Many people can't afford this. It definitely has a greater impact on those who can least afford it ... What they [legislators] need to do is cut their expenses."

Outside the tax collector's branch in Eustis, Sarah Cusick put her new registration sticker on her car's license plate after paying $35.10, saving about $30.

"I'm very happy," Cusick said. "I got quite a shock when I saw how much I would've had to pay."

Alvaro Ibagon of Altamonte Springs saved nearly $50 when he renewed the registrations for his two cars for two years Thursday at the Seminole County Tax Collector's Office.

He already has plans on how he will use the extra money.

"It's perfect," he said with a laugh. "I'll use the money to take my wife and family out to dinner."

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