Originally Posted by bocastephen

Let me answer both of the above posts together:

1) no, you don't need a FL drivers license to register a car in Florida or get insurance - many folks, especially snow birds, have cars both in FL and other states. The car registration is independent from the license. There are no 'out of state' licenses in FL - they want proof of residency and address. Also, they have a habit of selling private information to third-party marketers and had the computer systems hosting the DL data and photos broken into by hackers. I have other proof of FL residency for things like voter registration, etc.

2) I plan on keeping the mailbox - yes, the cost should be added, and it's $109 per year, but I can earn that back easily with one Kama'aina hotel rate stay. If I canceled the mailbox, then the address on file with the DMV would be totally invalid and that could be a problem. It's not my intention to deceive the HI DMV, just keep my real home address out of the prying eyes of the TSA, other government agencies and potential identity thieves.

I am only joking about the 'fake' part of the drivers license - it is a real license, perfectly legal and in full compliance with posted state regulations. In fact, when I first called to inquire, the DMV person (an actual real, live person answers the phones!) said they issue drivers licenses to non-state residents all the time, and can put any mailing address you want on the card, even an address in another state.