You could drive to the DMV and wait countless hours in a long line to get your license renewed. Or you could stop by the ground floor of the Welcome Center at the Reitz Union.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has partnered with UF to bring the Florida Licensing On Wheels program, a mobile DMV office that runs all over the state of Florida.
"We're very proud of this program," said Ann Nucatola, spokeswoman for the program. "We bring our services to you."
The FLOW program kicked off Monday at 10 a.m. with very short lines, to the delight of customers like Shaina McGehe, a UF senior who started off at the local DMV.
"There were like 50 people in front of me in line," said McGehe, who renewed her license at the Welcome Center location in less than 15 minutes. "I almost didn't come here. I'm so glad I did."
Guillermo Valle, a finance junior, also opted out of the three-hour wait at the local DMV.
"I live across the street from the DMV, but this is more convenient," he said.
Along with license renewal, students and staff can get duplicates for lost or stolen licenses and update their names and addresses, while out-of-state students can get a Florida ID card and register their emergency contact information.
"That way we can instantaneously get contacts in the case of an emergency without having to look through out-of-state records," Nucatola said.
Deepikaa Subramaniam, a graduate student from India, came upon FLOW by accident on her first day at UF and took advantage of the opportunity to get a Florida ID card.
"The service was good and he guided me through everything, so it was easy," Subramaniam said.
FLOW will be at the Reitz Union from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today through Jan. 9.
