This certainly came as news to us, so for all our Canadian snowbird or tourist friends out there--Listen up!
As of January 1st 2013, any Canadian bringing a vehicle down to the Sunshine State OR renting a car down here are required to have an International Drivers License.
Florida is apparently the only state with this requirement. It begs the question why???
There is no cash benefit for the state, since the licenses can only be obtained from the province that issues a person's driver's license. It is baffling. Nonetheless it is the law and anyone caught without one will face hefty fines.
We aren't sure how well known this is within the English and French Canadian communities down here and can only wonder what those who arrived back in November are going to do about it. It certainly came as a surprise to our Canadian neighbors down here who only heard about it today.
Please share any ideas or thoughts you may have on this strange new development!
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A little update to this post (Feb 15th):
It seems like it came as such a surprise to so many that there have been some new developments.
We found this headline from CBC News online.
Florida receives so many visitors and tourists from all over the world, many of which, have licenses in various languages. As a result, the law was passed so that Law Enforcement could read and understand the documentation they were provided to enforce public safety. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety conceded however that her department "hadn't really thought about the Canadian angle."
Live and learn.
As of January 1st 2013, any Canadian bringing a vehicle down to the Sunshine State OR renting a car down here are required to have an International Drivers License.
Florida is apparently the only state with this requirement. It begs the question why???
There is no cash benefit for the state, since the licenses can only be obtained from the province that issues a person's driver's license. It is baffling. Nonetheless it is the law and anyone caught without one will face hefty fines.
We aren't sure how well known this is within the English and French Canadian communities down here and can only wonder what those who arrived back in November are going to do about it. It certainly came as a surprise to our Canadian neighbors down here who only heard about it today.
Please share any ideas or thoughts you may have on this strange new development!
--------------------------------------
A little update to this post (Feb 15th):
It seems like it came as such a surprise to so many that there have been some new developments.
We found this headline from CBC News online.
"Canadian driver's licences valid in Florida, after all"
....Florida authorities say a new law that quietly went into place Jan. 1 requiring Canadians and other non-U.S. residents to carry an International Driving Permit has been put on hold.....The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued a statement on Thursday announcing the statute may be in violation of the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, and therefore the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) will defer enforcement of law.For now, our neighbors to the North seem fine. It will be interesting to see what happens in the long run.
Florida receives so many visitors and tourists from all over the world, many of which, have licenses in various languages. As a result, the law was passed so that Law Enforcement could read and understand the documentation they were provided to enforce public safety. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety conceded however that her department "hadn't really thought about the Canadian angle."
Live and learn.
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