Our NBC CT Responds team shared a warning last month after a local woman was denied a rental car in Florida despite having a legal license.
After our story aired, we heard from four other consumers who experienced the same thing.
Now, our state’s attorney general is taking action to prevent this from happening to other drivers, as his office has received similar complaints, too.
This week, the Office of the Attorney General has sent a letter to Avis Budget Group stating that its rental locations in the Sunshine State may be improperly refusing service to licensed drivers.
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Avis Budget Group owns car rental brands like Avis, Budget and Payless.
As NBC CT Responds discovered in our March investigation about another rental company, the letter says that it appears the Avis Budget Group's guidance is misinterpreting a Florida statute.
NBC CT Responds
This law does not allow undocumented individuals with a Connecticut license to drive in Florida.
However, the Attorney General’s Office said the company is also denying rentals to Connecticut drivers with “not for federal identification” licenses who are citizens.
The letter requests a response from Avis Budget Group.
NBC CT Responds reached out to the company for a comment, and Avis provided a statement more than a week after Tong's announcement.
"We are aware of the inquiry from the Connecticut Attorney General. As this is an ongoing matter, we are unable to comment further at this time,” the statement read.
The Winsted woman we helped last month was denied a rental car from a different rental company, Hertz.
After we reached out, Hertz gave her three free future rental days and told us based on the woman’s experience, it would be updating its guidance to help employees and customers better navigate Florida’s license law.
The Office of the Attorney General said it saw our NBC CT Responds report and has spoken to Hertz.
An AG spokesperson said a letter was not sent to Hertz because the company showed a commitment to revise its policies and make the Connecticut consumer whole.
