Florida tosses mDL program into the Gulf

Florida’s mobile driver’s license has been shut down, making the state a rare case in the world of a place where the number of people with digital ID has actually decreased.

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is pulling the Florida Smart ID from both iOS and Android app stores, and asking those with the app on their phone to delete it. The Department told 9to5Mac that it expects the new app to be ready by “early 2025,” and promised unspecified improvements to the application. The FDHSM says it will be “updated and improved by a new vendor.”

Florida’s mDL app was made by Thales, but how the digital ID would be accepted by state residents was an open question that remains unanswered. Thales told PCMag that the company’s $1.8 million contract with FDHSM expired at the end of June.

The requirements for the app have changed, Thales’ representative says, and the company does not plan to participate in a new tender. Given that there are only a couple of other providers of American mDLs in the market so far, the gulf between the old and new apps may exceed the Department’s timeline.

There are 11 other states with mDLs, plus a pair of pilots and several more in development.

One change in the market since the introduction of Florida’s mDL is the enactment of an age verification law that has one of the largest online pornography platforms considering blocking the state, while neighboring Louisiana sees a surge in sign-ups for its digital ID attributed in part to enabling access to adult websites.

Florida was never all the way in on its mDL, as drivers were still required to carry their physical license. Local outlet WKMG says that it was only up to 521,000 users, compared to more 18 million physical driver’s licenses.

9to5Mac calls the withdrawal of support for the app amidst the transition between vendors “a move that stinks.”

Article Topics

digital ID  |  driver's license  |  Florida  |  government purchasing  |  identity document  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  mobile app  |  Thales Digital Identity and Security