A NEW YEAR: Our best wishes to all for 2009! With the start of the New Year we renew our commitment to keeping Florida highways safe. We urge all drivers to help us in this task by wearing seat belts when driving a motor vehicle and by making sure everyone else in the vehicle is buckled up. It is also crucial that children of all ages be properly secured in a car seat designed for their age and size. When driving on our highways please share the road and do not drive aggressively or while distracted. Be prepared to move over or slow down when you see an emergency or law enforcement vehicle with its lights flashing on the side of the road assisting other motorists. Be a responsible driver by not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. By using common sense and following the rules of the road, we can all make Florida highways safe in 2009.
NEW REQUIREMENT – PROOF OF RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: Effective January 26, 2009 the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) will begin requiring proof of residential address when customers apply for a driver license of identification (ID) card in an office. The change is in preparation for the implementation of REAL ID and will ensure Florida is ready to begin issuing REAL ID compliant credentials in January 2010. More information will be available at http://www.flhsmv.gov/.
REAL ID – WHAT TO EXPECT:
Florida will begin issuing Real ID driver licenses and identification cards no later than January 1, 2010. Here is information on the implementation of Real ID:
· The Real ID Act became effective nationwide on May 11, 2008. Florida has received a compliance extension that pushes the date to January 1, 2010.
· Your current, unexpired, Florida license or ID card will continue to be valid as identification for federal purposes until December 1, 2014 for individuals born after December 1, 1964, and December 1, 2017 for everyone else.
· After the 2014 and 2017 dates, Federal agencies will no longer accept a driver license or ID card unless it is Real ID compliant. This means you will not be allowed to board commercial flights or enter federal facilities unless you have a Real ID compliant document.
· Florida already meets many of the Real ID requirements. We are on track to meet the remaining mandates and begin issuing Real ID compliant documents by January 1, 2010.
For more information about Real ID, please visit http://www.flhsmv.gov/realid/
EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION: This service will allow you to provide emergency contact information to law enforcement in the event of an emergency. This information may save crucial time if ever it becomes necessary to contact family members, or other loved ones. This service is only available to individuals holding a current Florida Driver License or Florida Identification Card. To record your information please visit:
IDENTITY THEFT & DRIVER LICENSE FRAUD INFORMATION: The Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is committed to protecting the integrity of the identity documents issued by the agency. In order to prevent the issuance of driver licenses and identification cards to people who are not eligible to receive these documents, the DHSMV has enacted stringent requirements relating to the documents that must be presented in order for a customer to prove his/her identity, residency, and citizenship or lawful presence in the United States. For more information, visit: http://www.flhsmv.gov/idtheft.html
SHARE THE ROAD: The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recently kicked off a brand new Share the Road public safety campaign to encourage motorists to use courtesy when driving, and to watch out for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. With more than 18 million residents and an estimated 80 million visitors traveling Florida’s roadways during peak months, it is no wonder we experience congestion on our state’s roadways. For safety’s sake, all road users must obey the rules of the road, practice safe driving habits, use courtesy not aggression, and ensure their own personal safety and that of others on the road. We remind our members to share the road - it belongs to everyone! For more information, visit http://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/misc/SafeEdCamps.htm
WEBSITE FOR TEENS: The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has a Web site for teen driver safety. The Web site was created by teens for teens and it challenges young drivers to take charge when they take the wheel. Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death among U.S. teens. Over 36,000 teen drivers (ages 15-19) were involved in crashes in Florida last year, according to the site. You can visit the teen Web site at http://www.takethewheel.net/.
OUR OFFICE SCHEDULE: Driver license offices in Florida are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. New testing guidelines that continue to provide excellent customer service call for the start of the last oral examination and CDL test each day to be at 3:30 p.m. The last written examinations and driving tests each day start at 4:30 p.m.
Beginning January 3, 2009, the following DL Offices will be open 8:00 a.m. to noon on Saturdays: Jacksonville-Wilson Office, Duval County; North Orlando, Orange County; Tampa ML King Office, Hillsborough County; Lauderdale Lakes Office, Broward County; Opa Locka Office, Miami-Dade County; Miami Central Office, Miami-Dade County.
Please check our website at www.flhsmv.gov/offices/ for the most up-to-date information on office locations and schedules.
BE SMART, GET AN APPOINTMENT! We urge all customers who must visit one of our offices to renew, replace or file a change of address to their driver license or identification card to secure an appointment prior to their visit. Connect via Internet at http://www.flhsmv.gov/oasis for an appointment to greatly reduce the length of the visit. Then link to the on-line pre-application and complete it before coming to one of our offices.
DRIVER LICENSES AND IDENTIFICATION CARDS - Fee effective 10/1/2008:
Class E (original) $27.00 CDL (renewal) $67.00
Class E (renewal) $20.00 ID Card (original) $10.00
CDL (original) $67.00 Endorsements $ 7.00
Buckle up your seatbelt!
