Ron DeSantis changed the highway signs when you drive into Florida from Georgia.
But he just put his message on something every Floridian carries in their wallet.
And Ron DeSantis just put two words on every driver’s license in Florida that has Democrats screaming.
The Motto That Has Been Making Leftists Crazy Since 1845
“Let Us Alone.”
Those three words come from the flag raised at Florida's first gubernatorial inauguration in 1845.
Governor William D. Moseley flew it when he took office as the state's first governor after statehood.
The Florida Senate objected – said it was too defiant, too antifederalist, too much of a thumb in Washington's eye.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2105043723574710346?s=20
That's exactly what it was.
DeSantis isn't new to this motto.
He put it on the Florida State Guard when he reactivated it in 2021.
He used it against Biden's vaccine mandates.
He changed the highway signs to read "Welcome to the Free State of Florida."
Now it's on every driver license issued in the state – permanently stamped into the credentialing system of one of the largest states in the country.
How Florida Made the Most Secure ID in America Even More Secure
The redesign isn't just political messaging.
FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner said the previous major overhaul more than doubled the card's fraud protection measures.
This one goes further still.
The front features Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine – the oldest standing Spanish fortress in the country – as its background image.
The back features Space Shuttle Discovery – 39 missions, 365 days in space, final landing in Florida.
Not California. Florida.
Kerner called the redesign a step that "further solidifies Florida's leadership in secure identification technology and REAL ID compliance."
“Florida continues to set the standard for secure credentialing,” Kerner said.
Why DeSantis Is Winning the War Washington Doesn't Want to Fight
DeSantis has turned Florida into the proving ground for what conservative governance actually looks like in practice.
He signed Florida’s version of the SAVE Act.
It banned driver licenses for illegal immigrants and stopped recognizing out-of-state licenses issued to people in the country illegally – at a time when blue states like Connecticut and Delaware were handing them out like candy.
“Safeguarding the electoral process to improve oversight and prevent unlawful influence has been a top priority for my administration since my first days in office,” he said. “Today I signed the election integrity bill, also known as the Florida SAVE Act. This legislation strengthens the security, transparency, and reliability of Florida’s election system. In Florida, we will always stand up for election integrity.”
He reversed the policy that let people change their biological sex on their licenses – a policy FLHSMV said "does not serve to enhance the security and reliability of Florida issued credentials."
https://twitter.com/10TampaBay/status/2105100381155967285?s=20
And now the ID card itself carries the founding defiance of a state that told Washington to back off from day one.
"Let Us Alone" isn't nostalgia – it's a governing philosophy printed on laminated plastic, handed to every resident who walks through a DMV door.
While Washington, DC spent the last decade expanding federal reach into every corner of American life, Florida is stamping its resistance on the one document every citizen is required to carry.
That's the difference between a governor who talks about fighting Washington, DC and one who builds the fight into the machinery of the state itself.
You don't have to replace your current license until it expires.
But when you do, you'll carry a message that the Florida Senate tried to kill in 1845 – and failed.
Sources:
- Kennedy Owens, "Florida driver licenses get new look, enhanced security features," Florida News, September 29, 2026.
- C.A. Bridges, "Florida driver licenses get redesign loaded with state symbols," Daytona Beach News-Journal, September 29, 2026.
- Fox News Digital, "Florida Gov DeSantis announces crackdown on out-of-state illegal immigrant driver licenses," Fox News, 2023.
- Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Retail Guide, May 2019.
