Republican Governor Rick Scott of Florida has vetoed a measure that would have allowed young undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.

The bill was passed nearly unanimously by the Florida legislature, with only two Republicans opposing the measure. It would have given immigrants eligible for President Obama's deportation deferment program the ability to apply for a temporary driver's license. Last year, Obama enacted a program that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors to stay in the country as long as they stay in school and avoid criminal activity.

"It was never passed by Congress, nor is it a promulgated rule," Scott wrote in his veto. "Given that deferred action status does not confer substantive rights or lawful status upon an individual, Florida is best served by relying on current state law."

The proposal aimed to not only make life easier for the undocumented, but also provide protection for citizens and legal residents who must share the road with many people who currently cannot get insurance. Florida residents involved in accidents with uninsured motorists often can't get their damages or medical bills taken care of. Applicants would also have been able to take drivers' education courses, which proponents of the legislation said would have made the streets safer for all drivers.

Without access to cars, many immigrants have a much harder time getting to an from work or school, increasingly the likelihood that they will drop out of school, require government services or turn to criminal activity.

Connecticut recently passed a similar law, and New Mexico, Illinois and Washington state have had great success with their own versions of the policy.

Scott has taken a hard line on immigration since his election in 2010, but it is unclear how this veto will affect Hispanic votes in the state, both for Scott and the Republican Party. Latino votes won the state for President Obama in last year's presidential election, and Sen. Marco Rubio has his hand behind the bipartisan immigration reform bill in the Senate, as well as his eye on the 2016 presidential nomination.

"I view this as an anti-Hispanic veto," said Florida State Senator Darren Soto of Orlando, a Democrat and one of the sponsors of the bill. "This strikes me as very political."