TALLAHASSEE O Canada, come on down to our state. And feel free to drive without an international permit.
Florida lawmakers are speeding toward repeal of a new law that says international visitors need a special permit to drive in the state. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, has caused a brouhaha, particularly among the Canadian "snowbirds" who pile into the Sunshine State each winter to take a break from the cold.
"We want to make sure we send a clear message that our state is open for business,'' said Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville, who is shepherding a repeal bill through the House.
On Thursday, committees in the House and Senate unanimously approved repeal measures, pointing to an old Tallahassee bugaboo as the culprit for the problem: legislation that creates "unintended consequences."
The law called for foreign visitors to get what is known as an "international driving permit" before leaving their home countries. Those permits would be in addition to a traveler's regular driver's license and, so the thinking went, would help Florida law-enforcement officers sort out traffic incidents involving international visitors, especially those who don't speak English.
But the change created confusion and bad public relations for the tourism-dependent state. Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said his Pinellas County district gets a huge influx of Canadian visitors each winter.
"I think every one [of them] has contacted my office to express their displeasure,"' Hooper said before the House Economic Affairs Committee voted for its version of the repeal measure (PCB EAC 13-01).
Beyond the effect the law was having on tourists driving into the state or lining up at airport rental-car counters, it also may violate an international treaty called the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Concerned about that potential violation, the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said last month the Florida Highway Patrol would not enforce the international driving-permit requirement.
Gov. Rick Scott, who has made reaching out to foreign trading partners a big part of his effort to boost Florida's economy, has also pushed for increased marketing of the state to foreign tourists, recommending another big increase in the budget for Visit Florida, the state's marketing agency.
"It made no sense," Scott said Thursday about the driving-permit requirement. "Hopefully, more Canadians will come here next year," once it's repealed.
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Florida lawmakers are speeding toward repeal of a new law that says international visitors need a special permit to drive in the state. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, has caused a brouhaha, particularly among the Canadian "snowbirds" who pile into the Sunshine State each winter to take a break from the cold.
"We want to make sure we send a clear message that our state is open for business,'' said Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville, who is shepherding a repeal bill through the House.
On Thursday, committees in the House and Senate unanimously approved repeal measures, pointing to an old Tallahassee bugaboo as the culprit for the problem: legislation that creates "unintended consequences."
The law called for foreign visitors to get what is known as an "international driving permit" before leaving their home countries. Those permits would be in addition to a traveler's regular driver's license and, so the thinking went, would help Florida law-enforcement officers sort out traffic incidents involving international visitors, especially those who don't speak English.
But the change created confusion and bad public relations for the tourism-dependent state. Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said his Pinellas County district gets a huge influx of Canadian visitors each winter.
"I think every one [of them] has contacted my office to express their displeasure,"' Hooper said before the House Economic Affairs Committee voted for its version of the repeal measure (PCB EAC 13-01).
Beyond the effect the law was having on tourists driving into the state or lining up at airport rental-car counters, it also may violate an international treaty called the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Concerned about that potential violation, the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said last month the Florida Highway Patrol would not enforce the international driving-permit requirement.
Gov. Rick Scott, who has made reaching out to foreign trading partners a big part of his effort to boost Florida's economy, has also pushed for increased marketing of the state to foreign tourists, recommending another big increase in the budget for Visit Florida, the state's marketing agency.
"It made no sense," Scott said Thursday about the driving-permit requirement. "Hopefully, more Canadians will come here next year," once it's repealed.
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