ENGLISH-ONLY License Tests Trigger Florida Uproar

Florida just ended multilingual driver’s license testing statewide—forcing a showdown between basic road-safety expectations and the reality of a multilingual state already struggling with uninsured drivers.

Story Snapshot

Florida’s licensing agency now requires every written, computer-based, oral, and skills exam to be administered only in English, with no translators.
The rule took effect February 6, 2026, with a limited transition window for certain pre-scheduled Spanish exams running through March 31.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and other proponents argue drivers must read English road signs and safety warnings to protect the public.
Critics warn the change could push more people into driving unlicensed in a state where uninsured driving is already high.

What Florida Changed—and How Fast It Took Effect

Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles implemented a statewide English-only policy for driver’s license exams starting February 6, 2026. The directive applies to knowledge tests and skills tests, including written, computer-based, and oral formats, and it removes multilingual versions and interpreter support. American Sign Language remains allowed when used to communicate English. Local offices reported receiving the guidance with less than a week’s notice, requiring rapid operational changes.

Florida also included a narrow transition period: applicants who already had certain Spanish-language exam appointments on the books before the effective date were allowed to complete them during a roughly 60-day grace period ending March 31. Outside that carve-out, the state removed non-English materials from offices and third-party providers. Reports from local offices described a rush of appointments ahead of the deadline, especially among Spanish-speaking residents trying to test before options disappeared.

The Public-Safety Argument: Reading Signs, Following Warnings

State leaders framed the policy as a straightforward safety measure tied to English road signage and emergency instructions. Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly backed the shift, saying drivers need to be able to read road signs. Supporters, including elected officials who have pushed for the change, argue that licensure should confirm a baseline ability to understand the same language used for posted warnings, detours, school-zone alerts, and traffic control instructions across Florida highways and city streets.

Support for stricter standards intensified after a widely reported fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike in August 2025, in which a truck driver allegedly made an illegal U-turn, killing three people. Reports raised questions about the driver’s legal status and English proficiency, and the incident became part of the political momentum behind the new rule. The available reporting does not establish that language alone caused the crash, but it did accelerate calls for a policy reset.

What Critics Point To: No Clear Study, Big Access Tradeoffs

Florida’s English-only requirement has drawn objections from immigrant advocates and some analysts who argue the safety case is not backed by clear evidence. Reporting cited experts saying they found no studies directly linking foreign-language testing options to higher crash risk. Critics also note that many road signs use standardized symbols that drivers learn regardless of a test’s language. Those points don’t negate the state’s authority to set standards, but they do highlight that the expected safety payoff is uncertain.

Uninsured Drivers and Licensing: The Risk of Unintended Consequences

Florida already faces significant insurance pressure, including a high uninsured driver rate and expensive premiums—an issue repeatedly raised in coverage of the policy change. Insurance experts warned that if the English-only rule leads more residents to skip licensure entirely, the uninsured-driver problem could worsen, pushing costs further onto law-abiding families who play by the rules. Local officials described operational strain as they worked to manage demand, appointments, and confusion during the rollout.

ONE LANGUAGE: Florida driver license tests now only given in English https://t.co/4bzPWWBpyw

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 9, 2026

The core policy question is whether Florida can improve compliance while tightening standards. Requiring English may align testing with the language of official signage and emergency messaging, but Florida is also a state where a large share of residents speak a non-English language at home and many naturalized citizens have limited English proficiency. With the rule now in force, outcomes will matter most: whether roads get safer, whether unlicensed driving rises, and whether state leaders pair higher expectations with practical pathways to meet them.