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The Department of Public Safety was established.
The director was
named by, and reported to, the Governor and the Chairman of the
State Road Department. The department was housed in a one-room
office in the Martin Building (site of the present Tallahassee City
Hall). -
First Florida driver licensing law enacted.
The law required everyone
to obtain a driver license if they intended to drive, but no
examination was required. Licenses were issued by the county
judges. -
The Department of Public Safety was placed under the control of the Governor and Cabinet.
Jess J. Gilliam was Director of the
Department and Commander of the Division of Florida Highway
Patrol. The salary for the position ranged from a minimum of $333 to
a maximum of $400 per month. -
The Division of State Motor Vehicles Drivers' Licenses was transferred from the Motor Vehicle Commission to the Department of Public Safety.
y. Tom King was designated as Auditor and Cashier of
the Division at a salary of $160 per month. -
Driver license examinations were required for original licenses.
Thirty
Florida Highway Patrolmen, including C.W. Keith, were given 2 weeks
of intensive training in driver licensing and were assigned to
administer the examinations in addition to their regular patrol
duties. The license fee was increased to fifty cents per year for drivers
under 18, $1.00 for Operators over 18, and $1.50 for Chauffeurs. -
Tom King was named Supervisor of the Division of State Motor Vehicle Drivers' Licenses.
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The need was established for a professional staff of civilian examiners whose sole duty would be conducting driver license examinations
Cecil G. Kemp was appointed as the first full-time
civilian driver license examiner at a salary of $100 per month. The
examiner uniform was the same as the highway patrol uniform,
except for a patch with the word "Examiner" sewn at the bottom of
the shoulder patch. Examiner uniforms and vehicles consisted of
surplus used items from the highway patrol. -
Florida became the first state in the nation to develop and implement the "One License" concept.
This concept, which basically
holds that a driver needs only a license from his home state and that
all other licenses should be surrendered, has since been made a part
of the Driver License Compact used by the various states. -
Florida won the award for outstanding achievement in the national traffic safety contest sponsored by the National Safety Council.
Florida also won this award in 1949, 1952, 1954, 1960, and 1961
before the program was discontinued. -
The salary for a beginning examiner was $150 per month.
An
increase of $15 per month was permitted in each of the first 5 years
of service. No further raises were granted until the examiner
achieved 10 years of service, when a $25 per month longevity raise
was granted. No additional increases were granted until 15 years of service were completed. At that time, a longevity raise of $50 per
month was granted. No further salary increases were possible unless
across the board raises were granted. -
Sanctions imposed for improper loads on vehicles (FS 316.52).
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Members received a one time $1000 bonus as approved by the Legislature in lieu of any pay increases.
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During June, new style licenses began to be issued through Central Issuance for customers using convenience services and foreign nationals. The new licenses featured many security features in a move to become compliant with the Federal Real ID A
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Examiners are required to complete a Commercial Driver License Information Check (CDLIS) for every customer who presents an out of state driver license prior to issuance of a Florida license.
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Internet driver license renewals; address changes for ID cards and driver licenses; duplicate ID cards and driver licenses; and original ID cards if the customer had a Florida driver license with a digital image on file.
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Examiners learn compliance requirements and fingerprint all CDL drivers with Hazmat endorsements (49 CFR, 1572.11 Federal Regulations). CDL licenses with hazardous materials endorsements may only be obtained for four years (FS 322.18).
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Effective October 1, the department began providing a service that allows customers that holds a valid license or ID card to provide emergency contact information via the agency website.
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The total of licensed drivers in Florida was 15,491,878, with an estimated population of 18,199,526.
7,259,225 transactions were
completed in the field offices. -
The total of licensed drivers in Florida was 15,579,603, with an estimated population of 18,328,340.
7,199,457 transactions were
completed in the field offices. -
September 1, 2009, fees for driver licenses, license plates and vehicle titles are increased.
The fee increases caused a major increase in
customer traffic during the last week in August resulting in office
volumes nearly 200% above normal and increased customer wait
times.
