Authorities in Miami have apprehended 11 individuals accused of pretending to have disabilities in order to secure coveted accessible parking spots.<\/p>\n
The arrests highlight ongoing efforts to crack down on fraudulent use of disabled parking permits, which undermines access for those who genuinely need them.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz announced charges against 11 people accused of falsifying information on applications for disabled parking permits.<\/p>\n
“Operation Parking Denied” involved members of the sheriff’s public corruption division investigating hundreds of suspicious applications for disabled parking permits.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade County’s Tax Collector’s Office began an audit of the applications in January.<\/p>\n
Investigators said those charged Monday include five people who submitted applications with a physician’s signature certifying that each was legally blind or unable to walk more than 200 feet because of disabilities, according to court records.<\/p>\n
The physician, though, died last May, and his signature on state records does not match those on the applications, investigators said.<\/p>\n
“The evidence points to a scheme in which people could pay a broker up to $200 to obtain fraudulent medical certification of disability and then take that paperwork to the tax collector’s office to obtain a handicapped placard,” Cordero-Stutz said during a news conference Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
All those charged face at least one felony count.<\/p>\n