Mail-in renewers start getting them next week. Fraud barriers abound.
By Associated Press
Published June 18, 2004
TALLAHASSEE - Florida drivers renewing their licenses by mail or online will start seeing the state's new design as early as next week.
By next year, all Florida drivers will be getting the new-look licenses, which officials redesigned to add antifraud features.
For most people, the new license will be colored salmon and blue and be viewed long side up. Anyone under 21 will get a salmon and red license, viewed short side up, so store clerks and bartenders can quickly notice if the holder is trying to buy alcoholic beverages illegally.
The license will contain images that are difficult to counterfeit, some visible under certain light and some requiring special equipment or a black light to see.
There is also information embedded in the license that officials using laboratory equipment will be able to access to get information about the card's issuance, another fraud-fighting measure.
There is a bar code on the back that stores the information contained on the front and could be used to store more data.
People who get their licenses in the mail, including those who renewed by mail or online and noncitizens who had to wait for additional background checks, will start receiving the new licenses next week.
Driver's license offices have to have their equipment upgraded, and that is expected to be done by next year, said Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles spokesman Bob Sanchez. People who renew in person then will receive the new license.
