WARNING TO CANADIANS!! STAY AWAY FROM FLORIDA!!!

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Stan Birch

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WARNING TO CANADIANS!! STAY AWAY FROM FLORIDA!!!

Instead of heading out on our annual trek to Florida; we are now unpacking our
motorhome and calling off the entire trip, not only for this year, but for all the years to come!!

Canadian Drivers' licences are no longer welcome nor valid in Florida!! Canadians are now required
to obtain an International Drivers' Licence to drive a vehicle in Florida!! Which also means that if
your licence is not valid, then the insurance on your motorhome is also be totally void, unless you
posess a valid International Drivers' Licence.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/02/14/mb-florida-international-license-winnipeg.html
 
Good grief. FL is not alone in requiring an international drivers permit; It's nothing more than a translation of your home license. Pay the $25 to the Canadian government and enjoy the trip.

Different states handle this in different ways, and California does not recognize the international drivers permit.
 
The article quoted says Canada is exempt for now. Another example of government at work, good intentions but something always gets lost in the implementation. ::)
 
Ruth, I am so glad to hear that.....I would hate for such a small amount to alter your travel plans into the States.

And on another note, if the requirement offends Canadians, they can always avoid Florida.... ;D

Marsha~
 
It was reported on the 11:00 news that Florida is suspending that requirement for canadian until they can change the rule permanetly.  Someone in Tallahassee must have found an unused brain laying around and plugged it in.
 
    Tom, Florida is the only jurisdiction in North America that has passed legislation to require an International Drivers License from another North American jurisdiction. 
    Throughout all this, it is amazing to me to see how casual the comments are about this.  It is much more than paying a $25 fee and moving on.  While it may have been unintentional, it was done without consultation, notice or even advice when it became law.  It has left us still unsure where we sit vis-a-vis driving or insurance.  Many of us have stepped up and helped your fine country get through the last recession by spending big money here, and the thanks we get is more bureaucratic senescence.
    Given that this is the 3rd string started on this forum, it is obvious that it has hit a real nerve with we usually sedate Canadians.

Ed
 
The State of Georgia has required an International Driver's Permit for holders of non-English language foreign licenses since 2009.

"In 2008, the legislature, in an attempt to make it easier for police officers to recognize valid foreign driver?s licenses,
amended O.C.G.A. ? 40-5-21 to add a requirement that if the foreign driver?s license is a language other than English,
the driver must also have in his or her possession an International Driver?s Permit (IDP) in addition to their home
country license. This amendment became effective on January 1, 2009."

Foreign Driver's License - Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police

I should add that Florida would have done well to just copy the Georgia law, and avoid all this confusion.  ;D
 
It is totally hogwash that your insurance is void if the driver does not have a valid license. The insurance is on the vehicle, not the driver, and would remain in effect no matter who is driving. That would even include a 12 year kid or if it was stolen by some crazy with no license at all.
 
The IDP concern is already being discussed in another thread, so please make responses there.

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,61169.0/topicseen.html
 
I can confirm Gary's comment regarding insurance from first hand experience:

Many years ago, a visiting 14-year old thought he'd take Chris' Triumph Spitfire for a spin around the neighborhood. He got a couple of blocks before T-boning into a big old station wagon. The Spitfire was concertina'd, but fortunately he wasn't hurt. The insurance paid me a check in almost zero time and, because of the condition of the car and the very low mileage, the adjuster went out of her way to research sale prices on the same model, and paid me over the value.

The only (temporary) issue was paying the other driver. If I said I'd handed the young lad the keys, they would have paid immediately but, because I said he drove without my permission, the two insurance companies had a standoff. I was concerned, called the Bar Association for a referral to an attorney (pro bono), and he told me "Don't worry, you're fully covered; The two companies are just sparring and, if/when the other insurance company files legal papers, your insurance company will jump in". That's exactly what happened, and I didn't hear any more about it.
 
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