English Only: Florida Eliminates Foreign Language Options For Driver’s License Testing

Florida announced on Friday that all driver’s license exams will be conducted in English only starting Feb. 6, and will end testing in other languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Russian, the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said.

Vehicles travel along I-95 in Miami, Fla., on May 24, 2024. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The change applies to both commercial and non-commercial driver’s licenses and permits. 

The move comes after federal authorities mandated last year that all commercial drivers be proficient in English to ensure safety – leading to 9,500 commercial truckers getting booted from service by December 2025 for failing proficiency checks. 

“This is a much needed step forward to protect Floridians,” said Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia in a post to social media. 

Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez agreed, writing on social media “This decision was made to strengthen roadway safety, ensure clear communication, and support consistent understanding of traffic laws across our state.” 

That said, Fernandez acknowledged that this may be difficult for Floridians who don’t speak English natively, writing “[As] an immigrant, I understand the challenges many in our community may face.”

As the Epoch Times notes further, Florida, in recent years, has increased restrictions on the issuing of driver’s licenses, citing an effort to combat illegal immigration. In 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation that stripped recognition of out-of-state licenses and identity cards issued to illegal immigrants and increased criminal penalties for driving without a Florida-recognized license.

“We don’t give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, which you shouldn’t,” DeSantis remarked at an event in March 2024. “This is going to be a deterrent for illegal immigration into the state of Florida.”

Last August, an Indian national was accused of causing a deadly crash that killed three people when he made an illegal U-turn driving a semi-truck in Florida. The Department of Transportation found that Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant, did not pass an English proficiency exam. He was issued a commercial driver’s license by both Washington state and California.

Singh pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular homicide in September 2025.