May 20, 2013
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Officials say a new state law requiring foreign visitors to have international driving permits violates an international treaty.
Under the law that took effect Jan 1., foreign drivers who didn't have the $25 permit translating their license information into English could have been arrested for driving without a license.
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Thursday that the permit requirement violates the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.
The Florida Highway Patrol said it won't enforce the permit requirement until officials can determine if the treaty signed by the U.S. or the state law can be amended.
Visitors who wish to drive in Florida must still have a valid license from another U.S. state or territory or from their country of residence.
