Woman who passed Florida driver license exam in Spanish forced to retake it – NBC 6 South Florida

Standing in the hallway in front of the Miami-Dade Tax Collectors office, a woman cried while holding her drivers license exam results, shortly after being told they weren’t enough to receive her physical license card.

Daniela told NBC6 she went through a course, passed her driver license exam, and was told to pick up her license at the collector’s office on Thursday. But once she arrived, Daniela said staff told her she was selected by the state of Florida to retake her test.

Per Florida statue, “a customer who takes (and passes) the Class E Knowledge or Class E Driving Skills Test through an authorized Third Party Administrator may be randomly selected for a mandatory re-test without prior notice.” The law adds, “After a re-test with a passing score is completed in a driver license or tax collector office, the driver license will be issued.”

Daniela was ordered to retake the test on Thursday as the law warns, which would have been frustrating, but not impossible. However, Daniela told NBC6 there were no more appointments left for the day and starting Friday, the state will only allow driver license tests to be administered in English.

“It’s frustrating because I will need to take it when I learn English,” Daniela told NBC6. “We try to do everything the right way and every time it gets more complicated.”

Starting Friday, all driver license knowledge and skills examinations will be administered exclusively in English, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis called the change a “good reform” adding people “need to be able to read the road signs.”

Many state officials have claimed the change in policy would make roads safer.

However, PolitiFact found “no academic studies or government reports that say drivers who take tests in foreign languages pose a greater threat,” adding, “the effect of Florida’s policy on overall road safety may be small because traffic signs typically prioritize universal symbols rather than words. They also say the change could lead to more unlicensed drivers.”