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The Office of the Attorney General today sent a letter to Avis Budget Group following complaints that vehicle rental locations in Florida may be refusing service to people who have been issued "certain" Connecticut drivers licenses.

Nearly two years ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the implementation of Senate Bill 1718 which specifies that "certain driver licenses and permits issued by other states exclusively to unauthorized immigrants are not valid in this state."

The Florida bill directly impacted drivers licenses held by illegals in Connecticut.

The websites of Avis, Budget, and Payless further indicate they will refuse to rent vehicles to Connecticut consumers in Florida if they have licenses imprinted with “Not for Federal Identification,” because that is the law in Florida.

The AG's office complained that the statements appear only on FAQ pages on the Avis, Budget, and Payless websites "but do not appear to be prominently displayed to consumers when making vehicle reservations or providing personal information or payment details."

However, the Centinal found the information about drivers licenses clearly listed under the "Terms and Conditions" section on the rental page.

Nonetheless, the AG's office received complaints from Connecticut consumers who have paid deposits and/or shared payment details or other personal information prior to ultimately being denied rental vehicles in Florida.

The AG's office is arguing that denials of service to Connecticut drivers with licenses that have been deemed not legal in Florida appear to be based on a "misapplication of Florida Statute § 322-033(2)," which purports to reject “licenses issued by another state exclusively to undocumented immigrants.”

The Connecticut licenses in question have apparently been issued since at least 2011 to Connecticut residents who are allegedly "citizens or otherwise documented residents of the United States" according to the AG's office.

"They are valid driver licenses and are not issued by another state exclusively to undocumented immigrants,” said the AG's office. "To the extent Avis Budget Group has a policy or practice of refusing service to Connecticut consumers without a basis in law, and/or not clearly and conspicuously disclosing such policy and practice to Connecticut consumers, this may represent a violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-110b et seq. (CUTPA)."

The letter seeks information from Avis Budget regarding its policies related to Connecticut licenses, disclosures provided to consumers, and complaints from Connecticut consumers.

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