Step on the scale. Trade in your coins. Check your blood pressure. Update your license plate sticker?
That’s right. Along with other services available in front of Publix Supermarket checkout lanes, vehicle registration renewals will soon become as easy for Broward County residents as ordering a Pub Sub, according to a spokeswoman at the Broward County Tax Collector’s Office.
Kiosks are being installed now at five Publix locations in Hollywood, Coconut Creek, Plantation, Coral Springs and Cooper City, says Nicole Murad Scarcella, spokeswoman for Tax Collector Abbey Ajayi.
The office hopes before the end of the year to announce addresses of those stores plus another five where drivers will be able to find and use the machines, Scarcella said.
During the stores’ opening hours, drivers will be able to bring up their account by entering a PIN number sent with their license renewal notice. Anyone who doesn’t have a PIN number can enter their license plate number and the date of birth of the first name listed on the registration, according to the tax collector’s website, browardtax.org.
After swiping their credit card, the machine will spit out a license plate sticker and the registration card that Florida law requires to be kept in the vehicle. Drivers will pay a $4.50 convenience fee on top of the regular renewal fee, Scarcella said.
The service will not provide new metal tags. Nor will it work for drivers with suspended licenses.
It won’t work for drivers trying to register boats, mobile homes, driverless vehicles, or automobiles with National Guard tags or personalized license plates, the website says.
The kiosks are provided by Florida MV Express, an operation of a Centreville, Virginia-based company called Nuemo, which helps federal, state and local governments improve services through technology.
Broward is adopting the system six years after it was introduced in the state in Hillsborough County in 2019.
Ninety-seven kiosks are available in Publix stores across the state, Florida MV Express’ website shows. Addresses can be found at flmvexpresskiosk.com.
“We heard about their success all over the state, and heard about the convenience of it,” Scarcella said about her office’s decision to bring them into Broward County.
Drivers who plan ahead may continue renewing online. Stickers and registration cards take seven to 10 days to arrive by mail.
The kiosks appeal to those who don’t have seven to 10 days before their registration expires. “Sometimes folks miss that and don’t want to take the chance they’ll be driving around with an expired tag,” Scarcella said.
Counties that already have kiosks include Citrus, Duval, Volusia, Lake, Seminole, Pinellas, Polk, Brevard, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Martin and St. Johns.
Palm Beach County’s tax collector fired up that county’s first kiosk in January 2021. They are now available at Publix stores in Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Palm Springs, Boynton Beach, and at two locations each in Lake Worth Beach and Boca Raton.
Miami-Dade County launched its first five kiosks this past April at Publix locations in Homestead, Doral, Miami Beach and two in Miami.
The kiosks aren’t the only major project coming up from the Broward’s tax collector.
Next year, the office will take over driver license testing and renewals and administration of official state identification cards — services now provided by the state. The takeover is required by an amendment to the state constitution that Broward County voters enacted in 2018.
“Our plan includes opening more offices across the county, hiring more staff, and acquiring the latest technology to streamline processes,” Scarcella said. “We are confident our plan will have an immediate and significant impact on wait time, appointment lead time, and the overall customer experience.”
Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071 or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.