SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Beginning Friday, all driver’s license tests administered in Florida will be offered exclusively in English, a change that will impact thousands of residents across the state.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles confirms the update applies to all license categories, including written, oral, and knowledge-based exams. Interpreters will no longer be allowed for oral exams.
The shift is expected to have a significant effect in communities like Manatee County, where language assistance has long been relied upon. According to the Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office, more than half of applicants who took a driving knowledge exam last year requested it in a language other than English. Of those applicants, roughly 80 percent requested the test in Spanish…