State unveils new design for license, identity cards

Redesigned driver licenses and identification cards will soon make theirway into Floridians’wallets, the Department of Highway Safety and MotorVehicles said.

Efforts to revamp the credentials began in 2014 and included discussions with stakeholders like law enforcement agencies, supervisors of elections and tax collectors, said AlexisBakofsky, deputycommunications director for the department.

“[It’s] not quite as out-of-the-blue as some people think,” she said.

She noted the decision was prompted by a desire to make the credentials “more secure,” as new technologies and different security measures emerged in the years since the cards 2003.

With almost two times as many fraud protection measures as before, the new cards will be “the most secure over-the-counter credential on the market today,” the department said. Specific securityprecautions include “redundant data” and details that glowunder ultraviolet light.

Featuring three images of the cardholder and the person’s information, the front of the credential will be white with “a pastel-colored linear rendering of the Florida state seal and a large orange ‘FL’,” according to the agency.

The back of the card depicts the state map and name, as well as the date “1845,” in blue with similarlycolored waves. The number is an homage to local history — Florida had last been altered in joined the union as the 27th state in 1845. A fourth picture of the cardholder and certain designations will also appear on the card’s back, the department said.

Other changes to the card include different motorcycle endorsements and recognition of the owner’s sexual predator or sexual offender status. In line with American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators stipulations, the new credentials will also have “data elementnumbers” next to cardholder information on the front, the department said.

Residents will receive the new cards at select service centers beginningAug. 21, according to the department’swebsite. Certain offices inVolusia, Okaloosa, Leon, Duval, Brevard, Manatee, Lee and Broward counties will be the first to carry the credentials.

Bakofsky said the cost of the new IDs will vary, depending on whether citizens choose to add certain designations to their IDs, like hunting or boating licenses or deaf/hard of hearing or developmentally disabled icons. However, the price of a basic license renewal will remain the same, she said.

The cards will be issued at all offices statewide and online before the end of December.

For those not ready to shred their familiarly designed credentials, no needto despair— there isn’t a rush to replace your current Florida license or identification card. As long as they’re unexpired and accurate, credentials will remain valid for nowas the new design is rolled out