Florida Driver's Licenses Rank High in REAL ID Compliance

Florida is among the states with the strongest REAL ID standards for driver's licenses, a new study shows.

The Center for Immigration Studies released its second comprehensive assessment of the status of secure driver's license standards this week. The report fills a void left by the Department of Homeland Security, which has been silent on the implementation of state license standards in the REAL ID Act of 2005.

The report concludes that by the deadline of Jan. 13, 2013, 36 of the 56 jurisdictions (50 states, Washington D.C., and the five island territories) will be substantially or materially or fully compliant with REAL ID, even if there remains a wide gap between the strongest of state systems and the weakest.

The assessment by Janice Kephart, former 9/11 Commission counsel, covers state driver's license improvements in line with the REAL ID Act, including: overall compliance, production of tamper-resistant cards, verifying and protecting identity before and after issuance, secure card production and federal funding.

The chart here shows Florida in full or partial compliance in all categories.