Florida residents face driver’s license denials over mismatched documents

Florida residents with mismatched names on their documents are being denied driver’s licenses, creating challenges for those trying to prove their identity. Steve Plunkett, 70, is one of the affected residents. Born in Price, Utah, Plunkett said his mother gave him her maiden name, Will, on his birth certificate after his biological father passed away. “When I was born, my biological father had already passed on. His family was trying to take me away from my mother, so my mom, when I was born, gave me her maiden name, which was Will,” Plunkett said. However, Plunkett said he has never gone by the name Steve Will. His mother later remarried and gave him her husband’s last name, Plunkett, but the change was never made legally. “It was a common practice for years for people my age,” Plunkett said. Now, the discrepancy has caught up with him. “I never knew when I turned 70 I couldn’t get a driver’s license because I don’t have a birth certificate,” he said. Plunkett’s expired license and Social Security documents list his name as Plunkett, but he cannot obtain a birth certificate from Utah without a current ID. “They’ve taken my identity. I don’t exist no more. At least not Steve Plunkett isn’t here anymore,” he said. Edith Foster, another Florida resident, is facing a similar issue. Born Edith Nunley on a U.S. military base in Germany in the 1950s, Foster was adopted at age 10 and has gone by the name Edith Thomas throughout her adult life. “I never had a problem going to school, anything,” Foster said. However, when she moved to Florida and attempted to obtain a driver’s license, she was denied. “We went to get my driver’s license here in Florida, and they wouldn’t recognize my birth certificate I had been given by the court,” she said. Foster previously held a Real ID-compliant license in Pennsylvania, but Florida’s policies differ. “She’s a legal citizen of the United States, and Florida won’t give her a Real ID,” said Foster’s daughter, Mimi Brewer. Noelle Branning, the Lee County tax collector, explained that Florida does not accept Real ID credentials from other states. “We are bound by their policies, procedures, rules, and regulations,” Branning said. “Even if you had a Real ID credential in another state, Florida does not reciprocate with other states for those Real ID documents.” The situation has left residents like Foster and Plunkett feeling disheartened. “Like I said, I’ll probably be dead by the time Florida gives me a chance to get a license,” Foster said. “I can’t prove who I am,” Plunkett added. Cara Marshall, another resident, summed up the sentiment: “It makes me go, "Who am I?” DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.