[cappyjon431]

Getting my license here in TV was difficult, but not as frustrating as what others have gone through.

I have had a Florida driver's license since 1978. When my wife and I were living overseas, my license expired. Not a big deal, as we didn't need a car on the small, tropical island we lived on.

When we decided to sell our business and move to TV I thought it important to renew my license. In the past, it was possible to renew online, so I went online but found that since it had been expired for more than one year I had to renew in person.

Since we would be visiting TV prior to our finally moving there, I decided this would be a good time to renew. Having heard about all the required paperwork, I thought I would come prepared and avoid too much running around during my short visit. I brought my expired Florida license, my passport, two pieces of mail with my TV address, a merchant mariner's document ID (a federal ID accepted around the world for identification purposes) and a copy of my birth certificate. I was prepared!

When I arrived at the office (the one where the library is, off 466a), I couldn't even get in the door to renenw (they have a very efficient "gatekeeper."). It seems that I didn't have my social security card, which was a required document. Even though I had a federal ID card that had my social security number on it, it was not sufficient. Nope, had to be my social security card.

They sent me to Leesburg to the social security office. The clerk there was very friendly. I showed her my federal ID with my social security number on it, she printed out a form that listed my social security number (something that I could have produced on my own computer--very unofficial looking), and I returned to the drivers license bureau. Thirty minutes later, I had my renewed Florida license.

Frustrating, but not too bad.