* NOTE * International visitors to Florida - new requirement

[Mike]

My wife spotted this on the news today. Non-residents will now require an additional international driving permit to drive in Florida, effective January 1, 2013. This is a big deal to Canadians and anyone else planning to visit the Sunshine State for MLB Spring Training, March Break, or whatever.....
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02 ... ermit.html

[Ron J. Moore]

We've have about a dozen couples living in our area from Canada - they knew nothing of this! We receive the Bradenton Herald daily and it was not in the paper here, thanlks for putting this out. I wonder what the hell FL is thinking. Safe travels.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Ron J. Moore

We've have about a dozen couples living in our area from Canada - they knew nothing of this! We receive the Bradenton Herald daily and it was not in the paper here, thanlks for putting this out. I wonder what the hell FL is thinking. Safe travels.

Sounds like they weren't (thinking). They'll have to contact CAA, and get the thing done via snail mail, unless there's way to use a fax number, which might speed it up.
I think we'll just wait and see what the resolution will be. We don't do Florida much any more, anyway.
Alternately, if there's a DMV office nearby, they might "walk" over and inquire as to whether they can apply for one in Florida somehow. Perhaps there's a procedure?

Good luck.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Mike

Sounds like they weren't (thinking)............

An update late today:

The State of Florida has backed away from a recent law change that would have seen Canadian drivers -- packing their beach towels and flip-flops for a sunny winter getaway -- weighed down with another piece of baggage: an international driving permit.

................Florida Highway Patrol will "defer enforcement of violations of the amended statutory section" until a treaty amendment can be made. Non-residents will still need to keep a valid driver's licence from their home country on hand at all times if they wish to drive in the state.

Lawmakers didn't take into account the fact that Canadian licences are already in English, and the department is now seeking "to make it clear that a license already written in English would be acceptable,".....

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/florida-wo ... -1.1156483

[Mike]

Originally Posted by markopolo

An update late today:

I saw the update. I still think it would be prudent to acquire a IDP if you're planning on driving in Florida until they get this sorted out permanently.

Originally Posted by markopolo

The State of Florida has backed away from a recent law change that would have seen Canadian drivers -- packing their beach towels and flip-flops for a sunny winter getaway -- weighed down with another piece of baggage: an international driving permit.

................Florida Highway Patrol will "defer enforcement of violations of the amended statutory section" until a treaty amendment can be made. Non-residents will still need to keep a valid driver's licence from their home country on hand at all times if they wish to drive in the state.

That's great, but FHP is only one of a plethora of law enforcement agencies in Florida. You'll be fine as long as everyone reads the memo updating the back off.

Originally Posted by markopolo

Lawmakers didn't take into account the fact that Canadian licences are already in English, and the department is now seeking "to make it clear that a license already written in English would be acceptable,".....

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/florida-wo ... -1.1156483

Not all Canadian licences are necessarily in English. Do Quebec drivers licences have bi-lingual print/text? Or are they solely in French?

[markopolo]

I don't know if Quebec drivers licenses are only in French or bilingual. If in French only then it seems that they'll need an International Driving Permit.

Website of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: http://www.flhsmv.gov/IDP.htm

Statement from DHSMV on International Driving Permits

During the 2012 legislative session, the Florida Legislature amended section 322.04, Florida Statutes, to require visitors from outside the United States to have an International Driving Permit in order to drive lawfully in Florida. This change took effect Jan. 1, 2013.

It has come to the Department’s attention that this requirement may violate the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (1949), an international treaty to which the United States is a signatory. Treaties to which the United States is a party preempt state laws in conflict with them.

Therefore, the Florida Highway Patrol will defer enforcement of violations of the amended statutory section until a final determination of the alignment of the amendment with the treaty can be made. Non-resident visitors to Florida who wish to drive while here will be required to have in their immediate possession a valid driver license issued in his or her name from another state or territory of the U.S. or from their country of residence. However, the FHP will not take enforcement action based solely on the lack of an International Driving Permit.

The CAA IDP ends up costing more than $25.
Non member photos $12.50
IDP $25.00
Registered Mailing $6.75 for Canadian addresses or $13.70 for international addresses

and it might not be needed............

So, if you have a drivers license in English would you just print the info on this page (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: http://www.flhsmv.gov/IDP.htm ), skip getting the permit, and take a chance that this will all be resolved soon?

[Mike]

That would be worth a try. It's probably going to be a big non-issue, at the end of the day. It's good to be aware of stuff like this, before/if it happens.

The articles and statements refer to the FHP only. I wonder if it's their primary responsibility to enforce driver and vehicle licensing issues state-wide?
Like anything else to do with police and law enforcement, it can largely depend on the officer you encounter. I'd be really annoyed if they didn't believe the paperwork, wrote me up, and I then had to attend a court hearing to clear it up. Might cost more than the IDP, in the long run. Like I said, I hope everyone that gets it, reads the memo.....

UPDATE: I have been advised by my navigator (who originally opened this can of worms), that we will be avoiding driving to/in Florida, until further notice.

[Karsty]

Apparently Florida had repealed this law. It has not been signed by the Governor yet ... it won't affect me but my daughter is going down this week. She has contacted the car rental agency in Florida and her insurance here in Canada and they both tell her that all she needs will be her valid Ontario Driver's LIcence.

A typical political debacle.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/florida-rep ... -1.1195433

[Mike]

For sure. Every time you add a new rule, no matter how innocent the intent, you add complexity to the entire system, and unintended consequences are often the end result.
We used to travel to Florida in March, but it seems too expensive, and crowded, and not as attractive or welcoming to us any more. MLB spring training, shuttle launches, and tired of snow, were our only reasons to visit. MLB has lost it's appeal, the shuttles are no more, and we plan to try some different sunshine places in the future, where there's less congestion and competition for campsites at a lower price.

[Ron J. Moore]

FL = "Open Mouth Insert Foot." They really shot theirselves in the foot, and had a whole bunch of folks wondering what is going on. Back to normalcy - whatever that may be! Safe travels.

[Karsty]

Originally Posted by Mike

For sure. Every time you add a new rule, no matter how innocent the intent, you add complexity to the entire system, and unintended consequences are often the end result.
We used to travel to Florida in March, but it seems too expensive, and crowded, and not as attractive or welcoming to us any more. MLB spring training, shuttle launches, and tired of snow, were our only reasons to visit. MLB has lost it's appeal, the shuttles are no more, and we plan to try some different sunshine places in the future, where there's less congestion and competition for campsites at a lower price.

I have to agree. I don't find Florida as attractive now as I once did. And for all the same reasons you mentioned. My daughter bought a condo in the Fort Myers area. I stayed there for a time in November 2010 and found the traffic atrocious. I mean it was just brutal. You couldn't even go out for dining to a local restaurant without having to battle your way through miles of traffic. I haven't been back since ... ever though it is a free place to stay.

Definitely agree it's time to check out other southern locals.

[Mike]

I only have two more things to do in Florida. Key West, and the Everglades NP, if only for one night each.
We did a quick tour into ENP but it was deserted, so we decided to head across state to look for a place to camp instead (nearer to Ft. Myers, actually).

Funny you mention traffic. We tried to do Key West in our last trip to FL a couple of years back, but the traffic was worse than the 401 across the top of Toronto at rush hour. When it wasn't a relentless, bumper to bumper, crawl between stop lights on US1, it rivaled California for abundant examples of driving skills insanity. We did I-5 on a weekday afternoon, near Los Angeles, and I felt like there must be something wrong with the van's speedometer, considering the relative speeds at which cars were flying past us.

Alternative locales may include Texas southernmost coast, and southernmost edges of NM, AZ, and CA.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Mike

................ We did I-5 on a weekday afternoon, near Los Angeles, and I felt like there must be something wrong with the van's speedometer, considering the relative speeds at which cars were flying past us..................

That's where I learned the computer in the Chevy RT had speed limiting and wouldn't let you go any faster than about 90 mph I still remember the Ford Mustang that blew by us like we were standing still. I'll take a different route next time