New immigration law: State driver’s licenses no longer valid in Florida
Five out-of-state driver's licenses are no longer valid in Florida following the immigration bill approved by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and which went into effect on July 1.
The measure forbids the issuing of a driver’s license to those who do not present documentation of lawful residency in the United States. It also stipulates that out-of-state driver’s licenses issued exclusively to undocumented immigrants are invalid in Florida.
During a traffic stop, people caught driving with an invalid out-of-state driver’s license will be cited for driving without a valid license.
Here is the list of out-of-state licenses that are no longer valid in Florida if the driver is in the U.S. illegally. This is part of the newly implemented Senate Bill 1718.
- Connecticut-Licenses that indicate "Not For Federal Identification"
- Delaware-Licenses that indicate "Driving Privilege Only" or "Not Valid for Identification"
- Hawaii-Licenses that indicate "Limited Purpose Driver’s License" or "Limited Purpose Instruction Permit" or "Limited Purpose Provisional Driver’s License" or "Not Valid for use for official Federal purposes"
- Rhode Island-Licenses that indicate "Not for Federal Identification" or "Driver Privilege Card" or "Driver Privilege Permit"
- Vermont- Licenses that indicate "Not for REAL ID Purposes Driver’s Privilege Card" or "Not for REAL ID Purposes Junior Driver’s Privilege Card" or "Not for REAL ID Purposes Learner’s Privilege Card"
The SB1718 law is said to be the strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation in the county.
The new bill also requires private companies with over 25 employees to use E-Verify, an online employment verification system, to prove the legal employment eligibility of workers.
Employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants will face penalties, with the severity dependent on how many undocumented immigrants were employed.
DeSantis says the bill and the license crackdown are meant to tackle illegal immigration.
