As of January 1, a law came into effect in Florida that requires all non-U.S. drivers (even Canadians!) to carry both a valid license from their native country as well as an International Driving Permit. The reason for the new requirement is so that law enforcement officials in the state won’t have to deal with the headache of trying to decipher driver’s licenses in various languages (even though we’re pretty sure our licenses are in English, albeit with French added as a bonus.)

Canadians intending to drive to Florida for March Break or the like will have to plan ahead and purchase an IDP at any Canadian Automobile Association for $25, but given the amount of Canadians that drive into the state every year, CAA is asking for us to be exempted from the new requirement.

“CAA believes this change is unwarranted, and will be requesting that Florida officials amend the law to exclude Canadians from this requirement. Millions of Canadians have driven in Florida for decades without incidents related to the lack of an international driving permit,” the association said in a statement.

For now you’ll need to fork over the $25 if you want to drive freely in Florida, but hopefully state officials will realize that American and Canadian are essentially the same language and let us save that cash for a frozen banana and turkey leg at Disney World.

UPDATE: Apparently this new law goes against the Geneva Conventions so it’s being deferred — in other words, never mind. 

[via Global News, CBC]

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Hallae Khosravi is an intern at Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter @hallaek. 

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