The Florida fly-drive holiday has been popular for decades. Get there, hire a car on the basis of your driving licence and then enjoy the country. Easy. Not any more. The law has changed.
According to the Florida Statute 322.04, anybody who wants to drive in Florida who is a foreigner has to have a driving licence from their own country, as well as the International Driving Permit (IDP).
The law states that if you are driving without an IDP, you will go to court, be fined or even jailed.
There is a twist in the tale. Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles now say that they won’t enforce the law and, if the driver has a licence from their own country, as long as it is in English, it will do.
The news hasn’t filtered down to car rental companies, who are insisting that drivers show an IDP before being able to drive away in their hire car.
In the UK, International Driving Permits can be obtained from the Post Office for just £5.50. The IDP lasts for 12 months, and the start date can be delayed for up to 3 months.