Woman: Florida license mistakenly labeled me a sex offender

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman who was issued a driver's license that mistakenly labeled her a sexual predator said today she plans to file a defamation lawsuit against a county tax collector's office.

Tammy Lemasters, 42, said she was denied service when trying to book a room at a hotel and has endured funny looks from cashiers when cashing checks because of the blue letters in the bottom-right corner of her license that say "SEXUAL PREDATOR."

"I was afraid to drive in my car. I was afraid of getting pulled over," said Lemasters, who works as a restaurant trainer and is the mother of three teenagers. "I was afraid of the kids being in the car."

She has already filed a notice of intent to sue the Lake County Tax Collector's office, near Orlando. The tax collector's office serves as an agent for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in issuing driver's licenses.

She went to the tax collector's office today, accompanied by her attorney and television cameras, to get a new driver's license almost three weeks after she first noticed the mistake.

The manager of the tax collector's office where Lemasters got her license attributed the mistake to human error.