Hello, friends! We hope this article finds you happy and well and driving safely across this great, big country we call the United States. As you may know, here at eTags we make it our business to keep up to date with all the latest comings and goings in the automotive world. Whether it’s changing laws and updated regulations or the latest trends and emerging ideas, we love all things automobile related.
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If you happen to live in the state of Florida, there is some relatively recent news that we thought would be interesting and important to share with you.
Back at the end of July of 2024, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) passed new legislation that will affect all drivers in the Sunshine State. The law states that each Florida driver’s license or identification card must bear a series of randomly generated numbers. (Not just the digits that currently exist on the card.) Meaning, the series of numbers that you will find at the top of your license or ID card will now be required to include the new random set of digits.
The reason for this new randomized system of alpha-numeric assignment is to help upgrade the security of the IDs and further help safeguard the identity of the cardholder.
The random generation of numbers is one step of extra safety afforded to Florida residents, and will become mandatory for all new licenses and IDs issued from now on.
It’s interesting to note that the format and setup of Florida’s licenses and IDs will not change. Rather, they will retain their original design. The new law will only affect the actual formulation -randomization – of the individual numbers assigned.
So, how does this affect Florida citizens who have the old version of the driver’s license or identification card? Well, if your license is due to expire soon, your new license will come back to you with a brand-new identifying number. This is a change from the past – when no matter how many times you renewed or replaced your license your personal number would have remained the same.
Now, when you go to renew, replace, or apply for a new driver’s license or ID, you will be issued one with a new, randomized number. And this number will only ever change if your name changes legally due to marriage, divorce, or legal name change.
But there’s another question worth asking, and therefore very much worth answering.
Up until now, your Florida vehicle registration card would bear the same number displayed on your driver’s license. And no matter how many times you renewed your registration, the numbers (on your ID and your registration credential) would match.
However, this begs the following important question: if you’ve recently replaced, renewed, or obtained a new driver’s license that now shows the newly required randomized numbers, do you have to have your registration updated to match the current driver’s license number? Because the two numbers would no longer match, and this could cause some concern.
Well, if you panicked there for a second, turns out that you’re in luck. For now, you do not have to have your registration altered to match your new randomized number license card. As long as both your driver’s license and registration are current, legal, and valid, it’s okay if they bear different number sequences.
There is no need to rush to the DMV or scramble to get the numbers to match.
In fact, you can actually wait until it’s time for your registration to be in its renewal period. When you next renew your registration (which, of course, you can do online with eTags.com whenever you want) the internal DMV system will automatically update your new registration card to match your updated driver’s license number.
It’s actually a pretty simple and smooth transition, it seems!
So, while the change to licenses and IDs in the state of Florida brings up these questions, the solution is thankfully easy. In the end, this is just about knowing that that the shift is happening, and being aware that all you need to do is stay up to date with your vehicle’s registration, and the rest will be done for you.
That said, if you need a hand with renewing your registration, you can do so quickly and easily online with us at eTags.com. Simply head over to our site, choose Florida as your state from our drop-down menu, then select Renew Registration (or any of the other services you may require).
Our user-friendly system will guide you step by step through the process of renewal, and all from the comfort and convenience of your laptop, tablet, smartphone, or computer. No lines, no waiting, no appointments necessary.
And if at any point in the journey you find you need a hand, have a question, or just want a bit of guidance, you can reach out to us at any time. Because as always, here at eTags, we’re here to help!
