Florida doesn’t recognize Connecticut licenses for undocumented individuals as valid in its state, but this traveler is a U.S. citizen.
Wendy Allshouse flew to Florida to visit her father but had to find a ride to get to his house after her rental car reservation was denied.
“They asked me for my driver's license. I gave that to the person at the desk and he immediately told me that he could not rent me a car in the state of Florida,” said Allshouse, of Winsted.
“I was just shocked. Absolutely shocked,” she said.
Allshouse says she rented a car from the same company, Hertz, last year with no problem.
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But this time, Hertz wouldn’t budge, and a neighboring rental car company wouldn’t either.
They said, per Florida state law, Allshouse needed a Real ID to rent a car in the state.
But that’s not true, according to Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which told NBC CT Responds that Allshouse’s license is valid in Florida.
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When she couldn’t get in contact with a customer service representative at Hertz for help, she reached out to NBC CT Responds.
“It was super frustrating and I just decided to contact you guys,” she said.
Real IDs are expected to be the type of license required to board a plane come May, but not for renting a car.
There is a 2023 Florida law that invalidates driver’s licenses for undocumented individuals in the Sunshine State.
Connecticut does have what’s called a "drive-only” license for undocumented drivers, but Allshouse is a legal citizen.
Hertz sent a statement, writing in part, "The Florida statute is complex and requires car rental companies to reconcile DMV protocols from multiple states with Florida law..."
“If I had just been going on a straight vacation rather than visiting family, I honestly don’t know what I would have done,” said Allshouse. “Without a vehicle, I would have been stranded.”
Hertz refunded Allshouse for her initial rental car reservation.
And after we reached out, the company gave her three free future rental days.
“Thanks to you guys at NBC CT, you know, it’s definitely more satisfactory now,” said Allshouse.
Hertz tells us, based on Allshouse’s experience, the company will be updating its guidance to help employees and customers better navigate Florida’s license law.
If you’re traveling to Florida we hope this doesn’t happen to you, but you now are armed with information to help.
Here is the full statement from Hertz:
"The Florida statute is complex and requires car rental companies to reconcile DMV protocols from multiple states with Florida law. We are making our best efforts to comply with the unique driver's license categories of each state. Based on this experience, we will work to update our guidance to help employees and customers better navigate these complexities."
