Courtesy: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
TAMPA, Fla. - Florida is rolling out newly designed driver licenses and identification cards featuring images highlighting the state's history and landmarks.
Redesigned Florida driver's license rollout
Timeline:
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will begin issuing the new credentials Wednesday, Sept. 30, at service centers statewide.
The new design will also be available for online orders through the MyDMVPortal by early November, according to the agency.
What will it look like?
Dig deeper:
The front of the new credential features Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine as its background image. The historic fortress is the oldest masonry fortress in the continental United States, according to FLHSMV.
The design also incorporates several Florida symbols, including:
- The state's iconic orange as the "O" in "Florida"
- A Florida manatee in the bottom left corner
- A Florida alligator incorporated into the REAL ID star in the top right corner
Courtesy: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
The back of the card features an image of Space Shuttle Discovery, highlighting Florida's Space Coast.
Discovery flew 39 missions and spent 365 days in space before making its final landing in Florida on March 9, 2011.
The card also features the motto "Let Us Alone," which appeared on Florida's first unofficial state flag and was presented to Gov. William D. Moseley during his inauguration.
Fraud prevention security features
Why you should care:
FLHSMV said the redesigned credential continues to include security features intended to prevent fraud and strengthen identity verification.
The new cards include an image of the state seal as an enhanced security feature.
The agency said the redesign also incorporates the latest credentialing practices to address emerging fraud trends and maintain REAL ID compliance.
"Florida continues to set the standard for secure credentialing," FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner said.
Kerner said the state's previous major redesign nearly doubled its fraud protection measures and that the latest redesign builds on those security efforts.
The new credentials also include a "Temporary Non-Domiciled" marking for commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits.
Do you need to get a new Florida driver's license?
Florida residents do not need to replace their current driver's license or identification card because of the redesign.
All currently valid credentials will remain valid until they expire, according to FLHSMV.
Existing cards will be phased out over time as Floridians renew or replace their credentials.
Online ordering timeline
What's next:
The new design will become the standard credential issued through Florida's service centers beginning Sept. 30, while online orders for the new design are expected to become available by early November.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from official press announcements provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, as well as public statements from Executive Director Dave Kerner.