New ID law angers applicants

Sarah Beaumont thought getting her driver's license renewed Friday morning would be a slam dunk.
Five minutes in line, pay the fee and out the door, she thought.

Instead, Beaumont, 20, came face to face with the realities of a new state law designed to toughen identification requirements for anyone applying for a driver's license or identification card.
"I think it sucks," said Beaumont, who now has to track down her original birth certificate and produce a Social Security card - no copies accepted. She also needs to return with two proofs of residency.
"It's a hassle, but what can you do?" said Beaumont, who went to the Forest Oaks tax collectors' office with her husband.

She wasn't the only one upset.
Barbara Burnworth, 54, got married and required a name change to her driver's license.
She came in Friday with her marriage certificate showing the name change. But she forgot her birth certificate.

"They want me to call New York and it will take one or two months to get it," Burnworth said.
She called the new rules for driver licenses and identification cards "stupid."

Others also are unhappy.

Assistant Tax Collector Tina Faulkingham said tempers have gotten so bad the sheriff's office now makes random walk-throughs at her office.
"(People) curse at the clerks, they pound on the counter and throw documents because they're frustrated because they obviously can't get their license," Faulkingham said.
One woman got so hostile deputies issued her a no-trespass warning.

Faulkingham said she understands the frustration, but people must realize her staffers are only following the new law passed by the Florida Legislature.
That law went into effect Jan. 1 and requires, among other things, an original birth certificate, U.S. passport or original certificate of naturalization; original name change documents; proofs of Florida residential address from two different sources; and original Social Security card or acceptable proof of a Social Security number.

The state passed the Federal Real ID Law to bolster homeland security efforts and ensure that only documented citizens obtain drivers' licenses.
"These new requirements support the most secure identification credential possible," said Sandra Lambert, director of the state's division of driver's licenses.

To apply for a driver's license, visit the Hernando County Tax Collector's Westside Office at 7489 Forest Oaks Blvd. or the Florida department of Motor Vehicles, 11319 Ponce de Leon Blvd. in Brooksville.

To get more information about how to gather the proper documents, visit www.GatherGoGet.com

Applying for a driver's license? Here's what you have to bring with you:

• Valid, unexpired U.S. passport or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate

• Court or marriage-divorce documents that provide proof of a change in name that differs from your primary identity document

• Your Social Security card or proof of your Social Security number.

• Two documents that show your principal residence