'Wrong' click: Websites let Florida drivers renew registration but with added fees

TAMPA, Fla. — It’s the quick click Carol Chapetto said she now regrets.

Instead of waiting in line, she opted to go online to renew her vehicle registration recently.

Chapetto said she searched “Hillsborough County tax collector” and clicked on the first result that appeared to be what she thought was the official website to complete the renewal.

“It sure looked like it,” she told 10 Tampa Bay.

But then she got the bill with all the fees that followed.

“Credit card fee, tag service fee, agency fee  and then shipping,” she said, reading her receipt. “All because I went to the wrong website.”

What should’ve been $84 to renew her plate for one year totaled more than $120. 

So Chapetto emailed VERIFY asking if the site she used was legitimate.

THE QUESTION

Are sites that charge extra fees to renew your vehicle registration legitimate?

THE SOURCES

• Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV)
• Office of Florida’s Attorney General
• Nancy Millan, Hillsborough County Tax Collector

THE ANSWER

Third-party sites to renew your vehicle registration legitimately offer the same services as the state but charge additional fees the state does not.

WHAT WE FOUND

There are no prohibitions in Florida law against private third parties offering vehicle renewal services, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), as long as appropriate disclosures are made to the customers.

“However, the Department recommends that Floridians renew their vehicle and vessel registrations through their local Tax Collector’s office,” a FLHSMV spokesperson told VERIFY.

While third-party sites like eTags.com offer the same services as the state, Hillsborough County tax collector Nancy Millan said they charge fees the state does not – which could be as much as double your normal renewal cost.

“When I hear these things happening, it really is frustrating,” Millan told VERIFY. “We get complaints throughout the year.”

Millan also warns that renewing through third-party sites means your local tax collector’s office or the state can’t assist if you run into issues.

“If you call us because you haven't received it, there's really nothing that we can do, we have to refer them to that private tag agency and how they process the information,” she said.

These third-party sites often appear first in search engine results ahead of official sites, according to Millan, because they pay for the premium placement.

“When you have a paid sponsored ad that shows up when you do a Google search, we can't regulate those things,” she said. “So I thank you for bringing light to it because this is something we have to continuously address.”

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The Office of Florida’s Attorney General investigated eTags in 2018 due to complaints of deceptive business practices. Court documents show the company ultimately agreed to pay the state $20,000 and make it clearer on its website it’s not affiliated with the government.

That disclosure now appears at the very bottom of the site. Chapetto said she never scrolled down that far.

“All the information they wanted was on the first line,” she said.

Chapetto did receive her tags on time but paid more than she needed.

It’s a lesson she said she’s now learned.

“It annoys me because I know there are other people out there doing the same thing and for $37, in somebody's case that could be a medication, that could be groceries,” she said. “In this economy, you can't throw away $37."

eTags did not respond to emails from 10 Tampa Bay.

Florida drivers can renew their vehicle registration through their local tax collector’s office by mail, online, or in person. Drivers can also use the state’s Express Renew website or kiosks located at various Publix locations.  You can search for kiosk locations near you here.