Florida is rolling out a new driver’s license and ID card that features an orange, an alligator and the term “Let Us Alone.”
The latter has been criticized for having what has been described as racist connotations.
The term stems from Florida’s first unofficial state flag. On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state in the union, and the incoming governor, William D. Moseley, was presented with a flag that flew at his inauguration and featured the words “Let Us Alone.”
Controversy surrounding that term meant the flag never became an official state flag.
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The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) announced the new flags in a press release and said that they pay “homage to Florida’s rich history.”
The release said specifically of the motto that the cards feature “the motto 'Let Us Alone' from Florida’s first unofficial flag.”
The release did not stipulate why the phrase had been chosen.
Florida Representative RaShon Young, an Orlando Democrat, shared concerns about the phrase and said in a statement to Florida Politics, “Words do not exist outside of history,” and described the cards as “tone deaf.”
“For enslaved people, demands for government noninterference meant leaving intact a system that denied their humanity and exploited their labor. Placing this phrase on credentials Black Floridians must carry is a slap in the face to communities whose ancestors endured that injustice,” Young said.
Newsweek has contacted the FLHSMV and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office via email for comment.
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Newsweek has broken down the meaning of the controversial phrase.
What Does ‘Let Us Alone’ Mean?
According to The People’s Rights, the expression “Let Us Alone” historically served as a defense of the states’ rights and the institution of slavery.
When Florida first entered the Union, it was a slave state. Its 1838 Constitution declared that the “General Assembly shall have no power to pass laws for the emancipation of slaves.”
The state flag that bore the words “Let Us Alone” was never formally adopted by the Legislature due to a Senate objection to the motto.
The phrase, though, has resurfaced in recent years.
On December 21, Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis proposed reviving the Florida State Guard.
At the announcement, the unit’s logo showed an alligator with its jaws open, and the words “Let Us Alone.”
DeSantis has used the phrase on his social media in multiple contexts. Earlier this year, he posted about an issue with iguanas in cold weather and wrote, “FWC seizing an opportunity for efficient removal of iguanas in southern Florida! These invasive reptiles need to 'let us alone'!”
The term has generated backlash on social media, with one social media user writing on Threads, "This is on the back of the new Florida Drivers License, it’s a racist dog whistle first used in the 1800’s," and another writing on X, "Florida is now putting the historic motto 'Let us alone' on the backs of their new Drivers Licenses. This motto comes from Florida’s first unofficial State flag in 1845 & serves as a defiant anti Federalist message reflecting a strong stance on State’s rights at the time."
What To Know About The New License ID Cards
The cards began being issued by the FLHSMV on September 30.
A press release about the design of the cards reads, “The background image on the front of the card showcases Castillo de San Marcos. Located in St. Augustine, Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fortress in the continental United States.”
“Florida’s iconic orange is cleverly integrated as the “O” in “Florida,” and the bottom left corner displays the Florida manatee, one of the state’s most recognizable native species and an endangered aquatic mammal. And we couldn’t forget the Florida gator which is incorporated into the REAL ID star in the top righthand corner of all cards,” that release continues.
Individuals are only required to replace their current license or ID if that credential has expired, or if a change is needed.
The new credential is currently available in person at all license centers. It will be available online by November.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Gray R. Thomas