A new requirement in Florida is they will not accept a hospital birth certificate.
It has to be certified by a government body.Another point what if the person was born in a foreign country, how can they get their birth certificate certified.
And finally where do you go to get the BC certified?

As I understand it, every country has certified (notary seal) birth certificates, and people born outside of the US will still have to get one from their country of birth. I realize that is a long and involved process.

I looked at the FL website and see that ONLINE RENEWAL doesn't require anything. Has this person tried online?

If they know they have to come in, have they done this http://www.gathergoget.com/

The hospital birth certificate is also known as the mother's copy. It is not a legal document. One can get a certified copy of their birth certificate through the Department of Vital Statistics from the state they were born in. For those born outside of the US, a passport should suffice if they are a legal citizen.

Wow that is a lot of running around. I was born in New York, My son in
Dade County Florida. Appreciate the help.

Wow that is a lot of running around. I was born in New York, My son in
Dade County Florida. Appreciate the help.
They will probably do this by phone and then send it to you. I live in Illinois and requested my official, certified birth certificate from my birth county in NC. I paid the required fee, and the county office mailed it to me. You might be able to request it on the State's website and pay with a credit card or PayPal and get the bc mailed to you without even talking on the phone to someone first.

New laws after 9/11.
Plus, Florida is home to many from the islands and SA and so on.
This is from the DMV site:
'There are 14 million licensed Florida drivers. Every year the Florida DMV issues 800,000 plus new drivers licenses. New residents to Florida with out-of-state licenses reach well over 400,000 annually.'

The hospital birth certificate is also known as the mother's copy. It is not a legal document. One can get a certified copy of their birth certificate through the Department of Vital Statistics from the state they were born in. For those born outside of the US, a passport should suffice if they are a legal citizen.

In other words, OP is laboring under a misconception. A so-called "hospital birth certificate" is simply a pretty piece of paper; it is not an official document.

But it is surprising that a BC is needed for a DL renewal. When was the DL originally issued? Wasn't a BC required then?

Yes my wife and son got their driver's license a few years back.
Those requirements were not compulsory at that time. But since that time the process has changed.

And did they try to renew online, where the requirements are much less?

Yes

Yes my wife and son got their driver's license a few years back.
Those requirements were not compulsory at that time. But since that time the process has changed.

They got their original drivers' licenses without showing a birth certificate or any form of identification? That's odd.