I find it odd that Florida law requires you to update your driver's license within ten (10) days of moving [1], yet to get a new driver's license you must provide two (2) proofs of residential address [2] which can include bills, but it's doubtful anyone can get a bill to a new address in less than ten (10) days since moving in. Hmmmm …
It's silliness like this that make me avoid bureaucratic institutions as much as possible (well, that, and the tedious long waits and my own tendencies towards procrastination). But seeing how my driver's license is set to expire in January of 2011, and an inability to extend it online [3] left me little choice but to head on down to the local DMV office.
[Mom always said I looked like a Cuban refugee in this shot] [4]
Last month, I set up an appointment for today at 10:50 am (the earliest datewise in all of Lower Sheol, and the only timeslot for today), so at a most ungodly hour Bunny and I headed out to the Pompano Beach office [5]. To ensure I appeased the bureaucratic gods I brought along my Social Security card (original), birth certificate (old enough to be an original notiarized copy of), car insurance bill (with the current address), bank statement (with the current address), voter's registration card (with the current address) and current car registration (with the current address on it). I almost went to the bank to pull out some cash, but given the ungodly hour, decided against it (and frankly, I forgot to to so yesterday).
We arrived about fifteen minutes before the appointment to a packed DMV office. Ten minutes in line, we were given a number (A1051/b) and told to wait.
Thank God I set the appointment, because it only took fifty minutes (and two blue screens of death on the Windows-run “now serving ticket #X” display) to get called to the back for my picture.
Five minutes later, I have my picture taken (only thing changed from the previous picture—a thicker beard) and pull out my debit card only to have the clerk tsk-tsk-tsk at me.
“We don't accept Visa,” said the clerk, “but we do accept MasterCard, Discover and American Express.”
Sigh. I knew I should have gone to the bank.
It has come to my attention that some of the links provided above **do not** go to the “Official Florida DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles)” which may cause some confusion. I am sorry about that, but the “Official Site [6]” does not appear to have the same information that is easily locatable.
You have been warned.
[1] http://www.dmvflorida.org/renew.shtml
[2] http://www.dmvflorida.org/drivers-license-identification.shtml
[4] /boston/2010/12/07/driverslicense.jpg
![[4] /boston/2010/12/07/driverslicense.jpg](/gemini.conman.org/boston/2010/12/07/driverslicense.jpg){kind=link}