Wednesday, July 14, 2021

LICENSE TO SELECT | Naples Florida weekly

 

TCHOOSING THE PICTURE ON FLORIDA’S standard license plate seems like a breeze.

The pair of tasty-looking oranges with a cluster of orange blossoms overlaid with a pale green silhouette of the state are a nod to the state flower, the state fruit, and the fact that the citrus agribusiness has an economic impact of $ 9 billion on the state economy. What could be more suitable?

But if citrus fruits don’t get your juices flowing, there’s a hodgepodge of 121 additional Florida residents’ specialty plates to choose from, and even more choices are the result of two bills recently signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

A custom license plate costs an additional $ 15-25 per year, depending on the license plate, when you register your vehicle, with the money going to the thing that the license plate represents. The most popular signs can say a lot about what interests people and what causes they are related.

According to the State Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 1,684,593 specialty signs were sold in 2020, raising approximately $ 35.2 million for various charitable causes, environmental education, wildlife, military, health, child orientation, and other causes. If you add the biennial distribution of people who have chosen to do a two-year renewal instead of a year, the revenue is about $ 41.5 million.

PHOTO WITH KINDNESS

PHOTO WITH KINDNESS

The categories include College, Environment / Wildlife, Military, Sports, Special Interest, among others. There’s something for everyone: Aquaculture, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Discover Floridas Horses, Ringling School of Art and Design, End Breast Cancer, Keep Kids Drug Free, Everglades River of Grass, Fallen Law Enforcement Officers, Golf Capital of the World, even one called “Trees Are Cool.” The full array can be found at www3.flhsmv.gov/tagbrochure/tagbrochure.pdf.

“Some people buy them because they are very committed to a cause or organization,” said Jessica Kelleher, press secretary for the State Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. “Some people buy them for the aesthetic.” That is, they just like the design and colors of the panel, much like someone buying a sports cap that represents a team they’re not necessarily a fan of, but they like the look the cap.

The number of special plates sold rose by almost 17% between 2015 and 2020. Right now, one in ten plates in Florida is a specialty plate, Ms. Kelleher said.

The top 10 specialty plates sold in 2020 show that the people of Florida know the university they attended, the fragile ecosystems and endangered wildlife around them, the professional sports teams they follow, and the military branches they or they are in serving a loved one, im appreciate very much.

Their # 1 choice confirms the unique place they live and some of the main reasons people move here: year-round warmth, sunshine, and beaches galore. In 2020, Endless Summer was the most popular specialty plate in Florida with 93,986 products sold. The plate shows a figure carrying a surfboard that stands out against the setting sun.

No. 2 is the University of Florida. No. 3 helps sea turtles survive.

While the Gators plate is the best educational plate for the University of Florida, Florida State University is close behind in fourth place. The best record for professional sports teams is the Miami Heat at # 6, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at # 10. The top military record is the Marines at # 7. Florida wildlife is hot and ranks four in the top 10.

Statistics show that the top 10 have remained relatively constant over the past five years, with the top 3 vying for the top positions year after year. For example, the University of Florida was consistently number 1 through 2020, when it was first encountered by Endless Summer, which was previously number 3. The numerical difference between places 1, 2 and 3 is negligible, with a total of more than 90,000 sold.

In southwest Florida, Charlotte County’s best-selling specialty record coincides with the state’s top 10, said Mandy Mattson, state director for Charlotte County’s Tax Collector’s Office. “People just love this Endless Summer plate,” she said.

Number 2 in Charlotte County is Protect our Reefs, largely because the money raised goes to the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in nearby Sarasota. “People love it when they think the money is going to a place they know,” said Ms. Mattson. The most popular for the military is the Marines platter, which also reflects the state’s top 10. “The Strand Y-plates are popular,” she said.

Specialty plates are generally popular because, with a fee of up to $ 25 a year, it’s not that expensive to have one, Ms. Mattson said. “Would you still give them $ 25?” She said of the special cause that a special plate is. If the answer is yes, why not?

People are going more towards special plates that draw people’s hearts, she said. On the other hand, “you can choose one that suits your car”.

Collier County’s tax collector Rob Stoneburner said his employees don’t have numbers on specialty plates, but the most popular ones in Collier County generally reflect the state’s top 10. “I would say our big ones are Endless Summer, Gators, Turtle Plates, Panther Tags,” he said. “We’re not outliers” His favorite? Mr. Stoneburner went to the University of Florida so of course he attracts Gator Tag.

The Lee County and Palm Beach Counties Tax Collectors Offices have referred all specialty labeling issues to the state.

The first special license plate in Florida was the Challenger license plate, issued in January 1987 in honor of the astronauts who died in the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. Later that year college badges were issued for nine state universities.

Conserve Florida’s Fisheries specialty license plate, approved by Florida lawmakers in 2020, just became the newest license plate available at your local DMV in June. In May, redesigned specialty signs were issued for NASCAR, the University of Miami, and Conserve Wildlife. A redesign of the Special Olympics record was announced in February.

The new Florida’s Fisheries license plate brought the specialty license plate number to 121, which seems like a lot. When you walk into your local DMV office and see them all covering the walls like a colorful carpet, it’s overwhelming. Still, 121 is poor compared to other states like Texas with 506 specialty plates.

Now more specialty panels for Florida are on deck, with Governor Ron DeSantis signing a bill in September 2020.

“Recognizing the importance and steady increase in the demand for specialty plates over the years, Governor DeSantis signed Law HB 1135, which was introduced during the 2020 legislature,” said Ms. Kelleher. The bill paved the way for 32 new specialty tags – including university tags outside of the state; a capacity of 150 special labels has been set up; formalized a procedure for the setting of underperforming special tags; and authorized the department to issue special license plates for fleet and motor vehicle dealer vehicles.

On June 29, Governor DeSantis signed SB 0676, another bill introduced in the 2020 session, and special signs for Florida State Parks, Honor Flight, Biscayne Bay, Disease Prevention & Early Detection, Protect Marine Wildlife, Scenic Walton (a nonprofit ) creates. and support Healthcare Heroes. The bill also makes it clear that the state cannot issue new specialty plates until a sufficient number of plates are discontinued so that the number of plates does not exceed the maximum of 150, Ms. Kelleher said.

In October, a new Walt Disney World special plate will be released in honor of its 50th anniversary with the iconic Cinderella Castle. All proceeds from the $ 25 annual fee will benefit Central and Northern Florida Make-A-Wish. |

By doing KNOWS

Top 10 specialty plates

In 2020, more than 1.68 million specialty license plates were sold in Florida. Here are the top 10 license plates by sales and causes that support them:

Endless summer: 93,986 – Proceeds go to Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation (education and beach conservation)

University of Florida: 93,716 – Proceeds go to University of Florida Foundation

Sea turtle survival aid: 91,423 – Proceeds go to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Florida State University: 70,909 – Proceeds go to FSU scholarships and educational grants

Protect wild dolphins: 52,247 – The proceeds will go to the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation at Florida Atlantic University

Miami heat: 51,572 – The proceeds go to the Florida Sports Foundation, which supports youth and amateur athletes, amateur and professional sports events, or a team’s youth welfare service

Marine Corps: 48,036 – The proceeds will go to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs

Save the Manatee: 47,673 – Proceeds go to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Protect the Panther: 41,080 – The proceeds go to Florida Fish and

For every record sold, 100% of the annual usage fee – which is between 15 and 25 US dollars depending on the record – goes directly to the organization. The only income the state or tax collectors would receive is processing or service fees. Source: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

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