FLORIDA (WTXL) - Florida driver licenses will be receiving an upgrade in August.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has announced that Florida driver licenses and ID cards will be getting a new look.
A New Look
The front of the card's design has a pastel-colored linear rendering of the Florida state seal and a large orange “FL” over a stark white base.
On the back, an image of the state of Florida rests among ocean waves and the year 1845 is displayed, referring to the year Florida became the 27th state in the Union.
Portrait images will now be printed with a transparent background and appear in four locations on the credential.
Officials say that the new design not only has a completely new look and feel, but also includes double the fraud protection measures compared to the previous design.
Fraud Protection
The new design features nearly double the fraud protection measures, including redundant data, ultraviolet (UV) ink and optically variable features.
Designated Header Colors
New credentials will also be issued with designated header colors that indicate the type of license you have. Licenses held by people under 21 years of age will have a red box on the card that shows when they will be 21.
New/Updated Designations
The new design includes symbols for lifetime sportsman’s, boater, freshwater, saltwater and hunting licenses, as well as a list of other informational symbols.
Other Notable Updates
Sexual Predator/offender Identifiers:
The new Florida driver license and ID card allows for the identification of sexual predators and sexual offenders with a blue identifier on the bottom right of the front of the card. Sexual predators will have “Sexual Predator” spelled out on the card, while sexual offenders have “943.0435 F.S.” listed in this area.
Starting in August 2017, the department will begin issuing the new cards. By the end of December 2017, the new cards will be available at all service centers throughout Florida and online.
The official dates and locations that the licenses will be available are below:
Date | County | Office ID | Street Address | City | Zip |
8/21/17 | Volusia | F01 | 2575 S. Volusia Ave | Orange City | 32763 |
8/28/17 | Okaloosa | A77 | 1250 Eglin Pkwy Suite 101 | Shalimar | 32539 |
8/28/17 | Leon | B86 | 2900 Apalachee Parkway | Tallahassee | 32301 |
8/28/17 | Duval | E83 | 7150-15 Hogan Road | Jacksonville | 32216 |
8/28/17 | Brevard | H71 | 1605 N. Courtenay Parkway | Merritt Island | 32953 |
8/28/17 | Manatee | M88 | 904 301 Blvd West | Bradenton | 34205 |
8/28/17 | Lee | N83 | 2480 Thompson St. | Ft. Myers | 33901 |
8/28/17 | Broward | R01 | 3718-3 W. Oakland Park Boulevard | Lauderdale Lakes | 33319 |
FLHSMV says that you are not required to replace your current driver license or ID card unless it has reached its expiration date or a change is needed, such as a name or address change.
They say previous driver license and ID cards will still be used alongside the new licenses until replaced or phased out.
Click here to find out more information about the licenses.
