New rules in Florida

[retired2]

In todays paper it said you now need an international drivers licence to drive in Florida -- even Canadians. Is everyone down there prepared??

[growler]

if you have a bank account in fl.,you then will have a ss #,so you can then get a fl.drivers lic. but don't say you are a canuck,and use the fl.address you are at for a home address.
to avoid a driving test, turn in your ontario licence when you go to get your fl.lic.,then when you get back to ontario,go to the mto office, and tell them yu lost your lic.and get a replacement ont.lic.,then you can buy a car/truck in the usa, have it lic.in fl.,and insured in fl.to (save some $).
simple way to do it !

[retired2]

I think it would be easier to go to the CAA and get the international one

[gale force]

There has been absolutely nothing publicized down here at all. I was surprised when I read the Toronto Star this morning and saw that article. Myself, I drive a florida car, plated in florida,insured in florida, and get a florida drivers license renewed every year. Because I drive with that florida license I don't think this will pertain to me. However, I have friends that drive their canadian cars down here all winter and now they are told (????) that they need an international drivers permit that they can only apply for from Canada?? Another cash grab perhaps?

[kishgo]

From what I understand this law was intended for those with a foreign licence not in English. FL police can read English of course so I don't think Eng. CDNs wil have an issue. Quebec is always a separate issue, on just about everything.

[growler]

Canadians visiting Florida may be surprised to hear they now need an International Driving Permit to motor around the state.

Under rules introduced at the start of the year, Florida requires all visitors with foreign licences to have an international permit issued by their country of residence in addition to a valid licence from home.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says the rules apply to any vehicle, including rentals.

The change seems to have caught many Canadians off guard.

The Canadian Automobile Association which issues international driving permits says Florida state officials have said the law was passed so police would not be faced with licence documents in languages they could not understand.

The CAA says the state’s department of highway safety is seeking to clarify the law in Florida’s upcoming legislative session, which begins next month, to make it clear that a licence already written in English would be acceptable.

A department spokeswoman told the CAA that until the law is clarified, drivers should use an international permit.

The CAA is calling on Florida to amend the law, but in the meantime, the association is also advising Canadians who plan on driving in Florida to obtain an IDP. The permit costs $25 and can be obtained through CAA offices.

An IDP translates existing driver license information into 10 languages and is valid for one year. It is not a substitute for a valid drivers licence but rather, accompanies one.


i cut and pastedthis.
a couple guy's i know say the florida law officers (?) are picking out vehicles with canadian plates,and stopping them, an easy way to make $100.or more while enforcing the law !

[kishgo]

Everything is fine and cool. Latest update:

The Florida Highway Patrol will not be enforcing the state law requiring Canadian drivers to carry an international driving permit along with their drivers licence.


For now, only a valid driver’s licence will be required, according to a press release from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Thursday afternoon.


“(The) requirement may violate the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (1949), an international treaty to which the United States is a signatory,” said the release.


“Therefore, the Florida Highway Patrol will defer enforcement of violations of the amended statutory section until a final determination of the alignment of the amendment with the treaty can be made.”


The state law, which came into effect Jan. 1, 2013 would require all non U.S. residents to have an international driver’s permit, which are issued in Canada by the Canadian Automobile Association. Under the law, driving without one would be considered driving without a licence.


However, an international driver’s permit may still be required to rent a car in Florida.


Budget customer service told the Star that by law the permit would be required along with the driver’s licence to rent a vehicle in Florida.



Florida now requires Canadian drivers to carry an international driving permit

But a Hertz location in Orlando said that only a valid Canadian licence would be required, as did an Enterprise location.

Insurance implications were the primary concern for those standing in an hours-long line at the CAA location on Lawrence Ave.

Steve Kee, spokesperson for the Insurance Bureau of Canada says that based on the Florida Highway Patrol’s decision not to enforce the law, nothing changes for Canadians when it comes to insurance.

The state law quietly came into effect on Jan. 1. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has said it is looking to “clarify the law” so that English-language licences would be acceptable.


The next legislative session begins in March, and the soonest any change might happen would be July 1, said spokeswoman Kirsten Olsen-Doolan, adding, “We love our Canadians.”


Millions of international visitors drive in Florida each year, and state legislators thought the international driving permit — a standardized document that translates the licence details into 10 different languages — would help law officers interpret foreign licences.

[gale force]

Thanks for the update Kishgo. Have a couple of friends leaving tomorrow to return home thinking that they had better "get out of town".

[Rick Wisson]

Good to know.

[rbw]

From what I understand this law was intended for those with a foreign licence not in English. FL police can read English of course so I don't think Eng. CDNs wil have an issue. Quebec is always a separate issue, on just about everything.

Back in the late 80s when my brother started staying in Florida for the winters, he was advised
that the cheapest and easyest way to avoid problems driveing if Fl. was to get an international
licence..Thus avoiding the leagality involved in having two licences..

Growler: The state troopers may not be enforcing this law, but I would not want to chance
not having it in South East Fl. where the official language seems to be Spanish...

[growler]

would that be true spanish,or mexican spanish,texican spanish,caribean spanish,or cuban spanish, as i never bothered learning all the dialects ?

[rbw]

would that be true spanish,or mexican spanish,texican spanish,caribean spanish,or cuban spanish, as i never bothered learning all the dialects ?

Cuban....

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