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Key West Uber Drivers Face Fines & Arrest

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KEY WEST (CBSMiami) -- Uber drivers in Key West are now facing a possibly hefty fines or even jail time.

According to our news partners the Miami Herald,  Uber drivers without a passengers vehicle-for-hire license may face a $500 fine or up to 60 days in jail.

The new policies went into effect on July 1st, following a city ordinance approved by commissioners last year.

The ordinance says it is illegal for Uber or any other ride share services to operate a vehicle without the proper licenses. The city says it has to do with their liability since ride share services drive on city roads.

Uber Spokesman Bill Gibbons told the paper, he hopes Key West officials reconsider the ordinance.

"It is unconscionable that [Key West] would seek to limit safe, reliable transportation ahead of one of the deadliest weekends of the year for drunk driving-related incidents," said Gibbons.

The first Uber driver in Key West, Hank Allen, is set to face a judge Thursday after being charged with failure to maintain a passenger vehicle-for-hire driver permit and vehicle license. He argues he was never warned by the county about the change. He also says the city is not interested in better customer service but in having their licenses.

A Key West taxi driver Jeff Baldwin is on the opposite side of the spectrum. He told the paper, "All Key West did is define what is already on the books, that you can't operate any business without the right permits."

City officials said, so far,  no one has been arrested.

As for the rest of South Florida, Uber services in Broward will be suspended at the end of July. In Miami-Dade, ride share service are still operating but illegally.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)

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