A man has received an apology from Davie Police after he was wrongly arrested due to the license plate on his rental car – but his attorneys say they’re planning to pursue legal action.
An arrest over a license plate frame turned into a trip to the hospital and jail for Demarquize Dawson.
“He’s going to have to re-live this over and over again over something that was so simple as half a letter being blocked,” said his attorney, Ryan Berger.
Dawson’s attorneys described how he was in a rental car near the Hard Rock Casino on Monday when he was pulled over by a Davie Police officer because of his license plate frame.
“He said, I’m arresting you because the ‘S’ on your license plate is obscured, the ‘S’ in ‘Sunshine,'” Dawson said in a previous interview with NBC6.
Dawson posted a photo of the license frame on social media showing that the frame partially covered the first “S” in “Sunshine State.” But according to an updated memo on Monday by Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the agency clarified the law that drivers’ frames can cover the top or bottom of the plate as long as an officer can identify the state. Drivers can have a frame as long as it doesn’t cover the letters, numbers and registration stickers
A South Florida man said he was arrested because his license plate frame partially covered the “S” in “Sunshine State.” NBC6’s Amanda Plasencia reports
On Tuesday, Davie Police apologized to Dawson, saying in a statement in part: “At the initial release of this updated law, the wording was vague, unclear and appeared to be open for misinterpretation. Since the release of a memo of clarification from the Florida Police Chief’s Association was provided to our department, our officers are educated on the application and use of this statute. Unfortunately, it appears this arrest was invalid and we extend our apologies to Mr. Dawson.”
Davie Police also explained what’s allowed before issuing the statement.
“As long as officers are able to read your numbers and this registration sticker, you can have a frame. If it’s partially covering here where you can partially see Florida or just halfway see ‘Sunshine State,’ you’re alright,” said Officer Julia Ross, a spokesperson for the Davie Police Department.
According to an arrest report, Dawson even went to the hospital because he said he had a panic attack.
“Our client had high blood pressure, and this resulted in a medical episode, and it’s very understandable that it would,” said attorney Andrew Simko.
The attorneys plan to pursue legal action, saying in a statement, “We are committed to ensuring that what happened to Mr. Dawson never happens again – not to him, and not to any other member of the public. Floridians deserve clarity, fairness, and restraint in the enforcement of our laws. We will continue to pursue all appropriate legal action and remedies to guarantee accountability and lasting change.”
“Apologies are just words,” Berger said. “At the end of the day, we need to find every legal remedy to get compensation for our client. He was unlawfully arrested. He racked up some medical bills by going to the hospital. He suffered mental anguish.”
Regarding enforcement with other law enforcement agencies, South Miami, West Miami and Coral Springs police said it’s up to the officer’s discretion to give a warning or a criminal citation. Miramar Police said they plan to focus on educating the public about the new law first before handing out citations.
The purpose of this law was to stop tinted covers, which can make tags hard to read and are usually used for toll fraud and hiding stolen cars.