Have unpaid fines cost you your driver's license? Operation Green Light can help you pay them

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read
Operation Green Light is an annual event that gives individuals the chance to pay off owed court fines and fees without paying additional collection agency fees that can be as high as 40 percent. Once debts are paid, suspended driver's licenses can be reinstated.
Operation Green Light is an annual event that gives individuals the chance to pay off owed court fines and fees without paying additional collection agency fees that can be as high as 40 percent. Once debts are paid, suspended driver's licenses can be reinstated.

Are you looking to get your driver's license restored but the cost is holding you back? This week may be the time to act.

Operation Green Light, which started Monday and runs through Friday, is back. For one week only, the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller in Palm Beach County will waive the 25% collection agency fee for anyone who pays their overdue fines in full.

The annual event gives people whose driver licenses have been suspended because of unpaid fines the opportunity to restore their driving privileges and save money while doing so.

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There are multiple ways for those with outstanding fees and fines to pay.

“The ability to legally drive is not only a privilege. It is a necessity for many people,” said Joseph Abruzzo, Palm Beach County's clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller.

“Getting to work, taking kids to school and providing for your household become huge challenges when you do not have a driver license. Operation Green Light not only helps people get their license back, but it saves them money as well.”

To take advantage of the savings, customers must pay online or by phone during the week of Operation Green Light:

  • Pay Online: Payments can be made online 24 hours a day at www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/operationgreenlight.

  • Pay by Phone: Customers who have their case or citation number can call the payment center at (561) 207-7189 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

  • Customers who need help finding their case information can call the clerk’s office at (561) 274-1530 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

  • Customers can find out how much they owe, or get answers to other frequently asked questions, at www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/operationgreenlight.

Operation Green Light helped 800 Palm Beach County residents in 2022

Florida law law requires the clerk’s office to turn over unpaid tickets and other outstanding court fines and fees to an outside collection agency if the debt is not paid within 90 days of the due date. Those who don’t pay also have their driver license suspended. Operation Green Light allows the collection agency fee to be waived; the court fees and fines still must be paid. But the collection fees can often represent as much as 40% of what is owed.

Last year, 800 Palm Beach County residents took advantage of the program. They saved $200,000 in waived collection fees and paid off nearly $500,000 in outstanding court fines and fees. Nearly 200 driver licenses were reinstated.

Operation Green Light is part of an annual savings initiative held by clerks’ offices across Florida. For information on paying court obligations and traffic tickets issued outside Palm Beach County, you can visit www.flclerks.com/greenlight.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Some fees waved this week for drivers out to restore their licenses