How to get your driver license reinstated without fees in Polk County

If you need to reinstate your driver license in Polk County, you can do it without fees for one day only.

Operation Green Light

In a news release, Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Stacy Butterfield said the county is instituting what is called “Operation Green Light” to get drivers back on the road without collecting fees for the service.

Other counties in Florida

Many other places in Florida are instituting Operation Green Light. For details about your county, including dates and times, visit https://www.flclerks.com/page/GreenLight.

How and when to reinstate your driver license in Polk

Operation Green Light is Saturday, April 2, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Residents can participate by phone or in person. The phone number is 863-534-4446.

The three in-person locations are:

Bartow Courthouse: 255 N. Broadway Ave.

Lakeland Government Center: 930 E. Parker St.

Northeast Government Center: 3425 Lake Alfred Road in Winter Haven.

Other fees

The county says that During Operation Green Light, “customers with suspended driver licenses have an opportunity to pay overdue court fines, including traffic tickets, while saving up to 40 percent in additional fees. Once paid, customers can proceed with the reinstatement of their driver’s license.”

Polk County provided this additional information about fees:

• Customers must pay the fine in the county they received the fine.
• Payment methods include cash, money order, credit card or checks.
  *A 3.5 percent processing fee is applied to credit card purchases.
• Late fees and reinstatement fees still apply, if applicable.

Success last year in Polk

According to the county, during the 2021 event, Polk County customers saved $116,660 during Operation Green Light in 2021: “363 cases paid in full, 440 cases placed on a payment plan, 47 driver license reinstatements, and 427 driver licenses were made eligible for reinstatement.”

Clerk Stacy Butterfield said, “Driving with a suspended license is a serious issue and can lead to financial burdens, a revoked license or even jail time. It can also prevent people from obtaining jobs or getting to and from work. COVID-19 has devastated so many within our community, and Operation Green Light is one way the Clerk’s office is working to better serve its customers and community during these difficult times.”