Politics
Florida rolls out redesigned driver’s licenses and ID cards
Florida’s driver’s licenses and other ID cards are getting a new look, starting this week.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) announced it will begin issuing redesigned cards at service centers statewide with a new design.
On the front of the new card, Castillo de San Marcos, the centuries-old St. Augustine fort, appears behind the cardholder’s information. An orange forms the “O” in “Florida,” a manatee sits in the lower left corner and an alligator appears inside the “REAL ID” star at the upper right.
The back features the Space Shuttle Discovery and “Let Us Alone,” a motto from Florida’s first unofficial state flag.
Colored headers identify the type of credential, while cards for people under 21 display a red box with the date they turn 21.
Those designs, which the state will begin rolling out Wednesday, replace ones on the current card, including a prominent orange “FL,” a pale rendering of the state seal and images drawn from Florida landmarks, wildlife and spaceflight.
The new cards’ state seal also serves as an enhanced security feature, FLHSMV said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the rollout at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. FLHSMV said online orders for the redesigned credentials will become available through MyDMV Portal by early November.
The state’s guide to the new cards says the design includes redundant data, security features that can be felt by touch, ultraviolet ink and details that change appearance when the card is tilted.
FLHSMV said those measures again nearly double the fraud protections of the previous design.
For some commercial drivers, the changes are more than decorative. New commercial driver licenses and commercial learner’s permits will include a “Temporary Non-Domiciled” marking where applicable, FLHSMV said.
“Florida continues to set the standard for secure credentialing. Our last major redesign introduced high‑security features that nearly doubled the fraud protection measures, significantly strengthening the integrity of Florida’s credentials,” FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner said.
“Since then, we’ve enhanced our credentialing practices to anticipate emerging fraud trends and strengthen identity verification across agencies. This latest redesign further solidifies Florida’s leadership in secure identification technology and REAL ID compliance.”
Residents with valid driver’s licenses or IDs don’t need to replace them.
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