Hey Nakohichi.....

I am or will be in the same circumstance when my son gets out ( not for another 8 yrs.)
Anyway, I tried to renew his FL license online ( it expired just yesterday), however, I found out he has an ongoing traffic case. I think its due to having his truck repossessed after he was arrested. It was financed, and apparently, the court system, in all their "wisdom" issued a citation for him for not having current insurance on his financed vehicle. Mind you, he was detained/arrested in April 2009, truck repossessed in June 2009---traffic court issued this on Sept. 25, 2009... crazy!
Anyway...as to your situation...look into Greyhound...I am pretty sure he can be bused from where he is at to Greyhound ( I forgot if your son is being held in FL??) ,,anyway..there is Greyhound in Daytona, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, ect.
Sure, it will be a long ass ride, but he will get there...and probably less than gas down & back for you from Philly.
My other question is why is your son so hostile toward you? Does he not realize you are only trying to help him?? My thought of getting his license is gonna be an uphill battle---who knows what FL allows for SO's..
Anyway, hope you can help him, and I hope he lessens his anger toward you.
Good Luck
Jim in Jacksonville

Some of what he is saying might be correct - at least in Florida anyone over the age of 18 must have a current drivers license or a state issued ID card. And as a RSO in Florida every time they move the must get a new card with the new address within 48 hours. When we were trying to find a place for my son to live I paid for 4 different ID cards within 6 months. If you paid for your son's license and you have the receipt you should be able to contact the DMV and request one be sent. One problem might be that in Florida they put the violated statute number on the license and that might be the holdup. You will probably have to get him a valid Florida renewal and then a new one when he gets to your state. I am really sorry but in some ways your stress over all this is just beginning - or at least a new chapter of it. I wish when this all happened with my son I had known where to find some of this information because it was very very stressful - I am glad that you have this board to get input from others

I agree with him about the plane - sorry

RSOs in Florida have no driving restrictions unless they are on probation. If they are on probation they have to keep a driving log and as I said the license has the violated statute on it

i keep having thoughts here - sorry - I think a Florida ID card will suffice (some people don't drive after all!) But I would call the department of corrections and the DMV

I agree with Advocate on the FL ID thing....I think that would be slightly easier to obtain with the documentation you have, but I think he would need a FL address to get that.......

From my son's case ( he was convicted in Fed court in Augusta,GA), and part of what the Dist. Attorney asked and received from the judge was Lifetime Probation..!! Does this mean he will never be able to receive a DL again?? Sounds idiotic to me, especially since the demand that they seek employment, ect..

Jim.. well, he's just stressed. He's usually pretty good but sometimes gets frustrated when we're not on the same page.
I'm flying down there on Jan 2nd, getting a hotel nearby, he's in Coleman FL and then we drive up in a rented car. That pretty much solves that crisis.
I tried to get his license renewed online, paid for it but I have a feeling it went to my old address. I have a home there that I rent out and my tenants turned out to be assholes. They probably got it and never said anything to me. But he can live without a photo ID until he gets here Im sure.

Thanks for that info Advocate: Wow.. I didn't know that it was illegal not to have an ID there.That's a bunch of bullshit isn't it?
If I take him home that same day he gets out he won't need a FL ID, correct? We can get one here in Philly on that Monday that he sees his probation officer. I have his birth certificate and SS card so I think that's all he needs.
I'm glad for this board as well. When this all first happened we felt like it was some kind of fluke. Like this doesn't happen to people and we were the only ones. It took me months to get any kind of info and this group was there for me.

I might try to get him a FL ID just in case. I can't have it sent to my old address but I have a friend who manages my property and I'm sure he would be alright if I had it sent there. I don't know if that would be an issue or not.. or if he even will need one.

Ya know Jim.. when the probation officer came to the house the first thing he asked was about employment. My brain froze for a second. Are they kidding?

So in some states RSOs can not get drivers licenses? that is crazy!!

it is confusing - I would call the dept of corrections to clarify Because if they are saying no release without ID you probably want to make sure - this crap is just weird and gets more weird everyday! I know I thought I was the only one also!

One reason why I moved to Philly last year to set up residency.. The mass transit here is really great. My son won't need a car.
I don't know if he realizes that he'll have a big red sign on his DL if he decides to get one. I wanted him to have freedom of movement without the extra Red letter.

Wow what a cluster! Upon release he will have to register in the county he is released in and tell them he is moving immediately but in order to do that he will need a state issued ID which is probably why he is saying he'll need a driver's license. No matter what he can't legally leave the state until he has registered and notified them of his leaving the state and gotten some kind of ID from the DMV or a at least a letter from the DMV stating that he attempted to get an ID or he is a non-resident and didn't need to register with the DMV.

Yes it is a cluster and absolutely ridicules! Wow in Penn they have to have a big red sign on the car??? It might as well be a big red target!