Overview
- Eleven people were arrested, which authorities announced Monday, and each faces at least one felony charge tied to a scheme to secure disabled-parking placards for people without qualifying disabilities.
- Investigators say the ring used fake medical documents including the signature of a physician who died in 2025 and that some applications falsely claimed legal blindness or an inability to walk 200 feet.
- Detectives identified brokers who charged applicants up to $200 for the fraudulent paperwork and named two alleged middlemen as part of the case.
- The Miami-Dade Tax Collector’s office began an audit in January and has reviewed about 75,000 applications so far, flagging roughly 6,000 as potentially fraudulent while officials displayed seized placards at a news conference.
- The probe is ongoing and could produce more charges or administrative reforms to tighten verification, a step officials say is needed to protect parking access for disabled residents and to recover lost municipal revenue.