Mark Lane: Florida can’t seem to get enough specialty plates
People think all Florida’s legislators do is fight the culture wars, tell local governments what they can’t do, and throw out favors for lobbyists. Not true! They also approve specialty license plates.
Each year, another crop is voted in, and this year is no different. The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle website lists 174 specialty tags drivers have bolted to their cars and trucks. Nine more plates passed the Legislature this year, and the bill authorizing them awaits the governor’s signature.
Foremost among the proposed new tags are the Jimmy Buffett-themed Margaritaville tag and The Villages’ “May All Your Dreams Come True” tag. Both of which should soon be gracing the parking lots of 55-and-older communities.
Every specialty plate is an opportunity to make some group happy and raise money for select causes without spending state money, and who can be against that? Legislators can’t help themselves. They’re always more than happy to serve up another round of plates.
More: What new specialty license plates might Florida lawmakers have planned? Hint: Fins Up!
This year’s tag legislation also exempts universities from having to register a minimum number of tags to keep their plates on the road. Something that’s often difficult for smaller schools. Stetson University (Go Hatters!), for instance, boasts a mere 224 tag registrants. And earlier this year, the University of North Florida’s specialty license plate was discontinued due to the low number of people ponying up for its plates.
And since most people in Florida are from somewhere else, it’s no surprise that Florida’s higher ed tags also include out-of-state universities: Auburn, the University of Georgia, and coming soon, the University of Alabama.
The number of Florida specialty plates is statutorily capped at 135. But there are lots of exceptions to that limit, so don’t worry about the state bumping up against that number anytime soon.
Most specialty plates ― not all ― must first get 3,000 pre-sale signups to go into production. Another 30 plates are now in that pre-sale stage. This is a high bar for many organizations. Even my favorite Florida AAA baseball team (actually, the state’s only AAA team), the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, only managed to rack up 105 pre-sales since 2020. Just 2,895 more to go! Likewise, the Daughters of the American Revolution and “Save the Bees” plates have preorders only in the 600s.
According to the website www.beautifulpublicdata.com/, Maryland had 989 license plate options of all kinds last year. So although the plate wall at registration offices gets more crowded every time the Legislature meets, Florida is nowhere close to holding the record.
About 13% of Florida cars and pickup trucks display some kind of specialty plate as of last month. My own car sports a “Share the Road” tag, with proceeds going toward bicycle safety and awareness. It’s one of only 10,078 cars registered with that tag, many of which are hidden behind a bike rack. This smallish number makes it easier to spot my car in parking lots full of sea turtle and University of Florida tags ― the No. 2 and 3 tags, respectively. No. 1 is the “Endless Summer” tag, a slogan that embodies the Florida Dream.
I’ve long been fascinated by legislation promoting Floridians’ many loose identities ― car tags, holidays, official state symbols and the like. And I’m encouraged that four of the Top-10-selling tags support environmental protection of some kind. Also, that four of the Top-20 are for universities. Something that suggests Floridians aren’t as hostile to environmental concerns or as angry at higher ed as their legislators are.
Not everyone is satisfied with the standard-issue orange-and-orange-blossom plate. (Hey, on what kind of orange tree do orange blossoms and fully ripe oranges grow next to each other?) Many drivers want a little self-expression, an officially sanctioned nod to their favorite causes, something that matches their paint job and helps them find the car in an age when cars look alike.
Some years back, a legislator weary of the constant stream of specialty-tag bills suggested giving up and just issuing motorists blank tags with markers. That way everyone could make their own. It was sarcasm, but I like the idea. Florida’s state identity is that we don’t have a single, strong state identity. Florida Man demands his own plate!
Mark Lane is a News-Journal columnist. His email is mlanewrites@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Mark Lane: Florida can’t seem to get enough specialty plates
