Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon recently announced that her agency’s “License To Drive” program received a National Association of Counties 2014 Achievement Award for Civic Education and Public Information.
The “License To Drive” program was created to help Palm Beach County drivers when the Florida Legislature transferred the issuing of licenses to local tax collectors in 2010. That transfer also included implementing the federal Real ID Act requirements. Real ID was passed by Congress after 9/11 to prevent future terrorist attacks and identification fraud. The public had very little knowledge about its requirements, which created confusion and frustration when visiting tax collector offices.
The multi-cultural “License To Drive” program helped customers prepare in advance for their Real ID office visit. The public information effort includes educational collateral, digital resources, events, video, web and radio promotion and more, as well as a comprehensive community outreach effort. As of June 2014, 62 percent of eligible drivers in Palm Beach County are Real ID compliant.
The “License To Drive” program has also received awards from the Gold Coast Public Relations Council and the Palm Beach Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
