ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — Starting Jan. 1, 2027, anyone applying for or renewing their Florida driver’s license — who is not a United States citizen — will see the letters “NC” printed on it.
This comes as part of the statewide “SAVE Act” that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in April 1.
But critics warn that people who have “non-citizen” brandished on their driver’s license could become a target.
Even if they live in Florida legally, “NC” will be printed on their driver’s license.
Escambia County Democratic Party Chair Derrick Scott says this could open the door to discrimination, especially during traffic stops.
“You’re going to see the uptick of people being unnecessarily detained irrespective of if they have proper documentation or not,” Scott said. “This just leads to unnecessary over-patrolling, over-policing and and it’s going to create a sense of distrust amongst the community. I mean, we already are in a police state where people are being profiled just upon the way they either look or the way they speak.”
DeSantis signed the measure as part of the Florida SAVE act, which the governor says will make elections more secure.
“This is just creating greater accuracy, accountability and transparency,” Republican Congressman Jimmy Patronis said.
Patronis says he supports the idea.
WEAR: “Now, some critics might warn that having non-citizen written right on somebody’s license, even if they are here legally, that could make them a target of discrimination. What is your take on that?”
Patronis: “Well, look, that’s a matter of, I guess, opinion. Some people may feel self-conscious or not, but again, there’s nothing wrong with somebody being a non-citizen. This is just all part of us having accurate documentation of where their standing is.”
Tax collector Scott Lunsford oversees driver’s license offices in Escambia County. He says the DMV offices are ready to handle the change.
“And for folks who are in the country temporarily or for limited time, they would need to bring proof that they lawfully entered the country and then establish how long they’re allowed to be here for,” Lunsford said.
Lunsford says DMV employees are well-prepared to examine personal documents.
“And we see it every day from fraudulent permanent resident cards, manipulated birth certificates, and we stop a lot of fraud,” Lunsford said. “All of our folks go through a document recognition course and they’re taught how to look at different documents and determine key indicators for fraudulent papers.”
The tax collector says if you are a non-citizen, you don’t need to immediately get a new license with a new seal. You can do it whenever it’s time to renew your license.