Trouble with an Old Driver's License Suspension

[steelers32]

Hello. New here and looking for a little advice. Thanks ahead of time for any help.

In 2001, while in college in Pennsylvania, I was caught underage drinking with posession of false I.D. I went throught the court system and did everything that was necesarry to comply with the outcome of the case. At the time, I held a valid N.J. driver's license. My friends that were with me that were also recieved the same charges, both held PA licences. They had their licenses suspended for 90 days. I was told by the Magistrate that since I held a NJ license, I did not have to serve the suspension, but was warned that if I every tried to obtain a PA license that I would have to serve a 90 day suspension.

I held the NJ license until 2006 when I moved to VA. I went to the VA DMV and recieved my license with no problems. I have held a valid VA license since 2006 to present.

I move to FL recently and upon a visit to the Tax Collector to transfer my license to FL, I was told that there was a problem and that I needed to contact the PA DMV to have them remove me from the National Driver's Registry. I called the PA DMV and they told me that I had to serve a 90 day suspension from a false I.D. charge stemming from 2001. I talked with the guy and he assured me that there was no statute of limitations on this and that I had to fill out form DL-16LC and send it in to begin my suspension.

I printed out the form which is an Acknowledgement of suspension/revocation/etc. The form has a spot for my PA DL number (which I don't posess) and has a spot to sign that states, "I _____ hereby acknowledge that my driving privilige is Suspended/Revoked/[etc] in Pennsylvania."

I am pretty upset that this came up out of no where 11 years after the fact. The magistrate told me when this happened that it would be a problem if I applied for a DL in PA. I still hold a valid VA DL which expires in December of this year, so I need to figure out what to do soon.

The form clearly says that I voluntarily suspend my rights to drive in the state of Pennsylvania. This is fine by me, as I live in Florida. Will there be any reciprosity with a suspension issued as a result of me signing this and sending it in? The gentleman at the DMV "help" line said that I needed to send it in to begin the suspension. When I asked about my driving privliges in other states, he could not give me a straight answer. I also asked about the fact that it says I need to physically send in my PA DL. He said just put N/A in the box where it asks for PA DL number and that should be fine.

Can anyone please offer me some advice here? I really can't afford a DL suspension in FL as I have to commute to work 5+ days a week. Thank you very much for your time.

[vincedia]

Yours is a common tale that I deal with regularly. The magistrate never told you that you don't have to serve the suspension, but rather that your license for your home state (NJ?) will not be suspended. You should have received notice from PennDOT that you did in fact owe Pennsylvania 90 days of suspension, and to start that suspension you had to surrender the acknowledgement form DL-16. There are a lot of places that system could break down, and 11 years ago it broke down a lot.

You have two choices now...11 years later.

You should send that DL-16 in to PennDOT no matter what. Make sure it has the current address so PennDOT can send you confirmation they got it and have started the 90 days.
Send this notice CERTIFIED MAIL or FEDEX or UPS. Make sure someone needs to sign for it!

If you have a current VALID license from VA, and you are still permitted by FL to drive on it, then your VA license will not be suspended because of this. You will not be permitted to renew or change your current license because of the hold from PA. So you can ride out the 90 days driving legally in every state but Pennsylvania.

If you are required to get a Florida license because of the length of time you have lived there, or your VA license has expired, then you need to explore the Florida hardship options as you serve out your 90 days in PA.

OR

You can choose to fight the issue in PA. If you can prove that there was a breakdown in the system, it is possible to get credit for the suspension time and have the 90 days removed. It is not an easy process and I suggest you seek professional help if you choose this route. It can take some time to complete and it will probably cost significant money. So if you can serve the 90 days by maintaining your VA license or get a Florida temporary or hardship license, that may be a better option.

Good Luck,
Vince