Special licenses delayed

Developmentally disabled must wait for redesign

When Ellen KleinertCohn went to get a new driver’s license for her developmentally disabled son, she was shocked when DMV workers told her ‘no.’

Florida driver’s licenses were supposed to be available with a “D” imprinted on them as of Oct. 1, 2016. The “D” is meant to signify that the carrier is developmentally disabled, a message to law enforcement or other authorities to use caution and not take sudden movements or erratic behavior as warning signs.

Kleinert-Cohn said workers at the DMV on Banks Road in Coconut Creek told her the law creating the licenses did not pass. It did and was signed by Gov. Rick Scott on April 1.

The DMV workers were apologetic, Kleinert-Cohn said, but she knew better than most that they were wrong. The licenses are part of a new state law called the Wes Kleinert Fair Interview Act, named after her son.

The license part of the law is still more than a year away from getting done because of pending redesign of Florida driver’s licenses, according to the Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

“[It] will go into effect once the redesigned Florida driver’s license is implemented,” said department spokeswoman Beth Frady. “The department has begun this process, which should be complete by Dec. 31, 2017.”

Kleinert-Cohn said that a lack of publicity around the