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Florida Has HOW MANY Different License Plates?

By Lysa Napolitano

Services for Real Estate Pros

August 23, 2007 04:38 AM

Florida has 4 separate categories for license plates when you go to their Speciality Plates web page.

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The catagories and total plates are:

ENVIRONMENTAL ~ 18
MISCELLANEOUS ~ 40
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS ~ 9
UNIVERSITIES ~ 36

Including our standard Florida State license plate seen above this brings us to a grand total of 104 license plates for the state!

That's a lot of different plates!

Specialty plates vary in price depending on which plate you choose. Some have a $15.00 yearly fee while others can go as high as a $25.00 yearly fee. This is on top of your "once a year" vehicle registration fee. The money collected from each speciality plate goes into a fund that plate was speciality designed for.

My favorite plates fall under Environmental and Miscellaneous. You're not surprised are you? However, in case you are wondering, I have the standard issue on my car, for now...

The newest plate under Environmental is ...

Animal Friend

Proceeds from this plate go to Florida Animal Friend Inc. which are then used in spay and neuter programs across the state.

Then we have plates for the Protect The Whales, Protect The Dolphins, Help The Sea Turtles, Save Our Florida Reefs, Save the Manatee, Conserve Wildlife just to give you a sample of our Environmental plates.

Clicking on each license plate will take you to where the proceeds of each plate go. For instance, The "Conserve Wildlife" plate proceeds benefit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission along with 3 other plates I have shown you.

I've just given you a sampling of the plates listed under Environmental. There are 11 others on the website to view.

The Miscellaneous license plates touch all sorts of different aspects of the Florida Lifestyle.

You will find plates going towards Ending Breast Cancer, Family Values, Hospice: Everyday is a Gift, Police Benevolent Association, Salutes Firefighters, one dedicated to the Space Shuttle Challenger, Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranch, along with one for EACH Branch of our Military and here are just 3 of my favorites from this group..

Once again, clicking on each license plate will take you to where the proceeds of each plate go.

Next the Professional Sports.. Ok Florida has 3 Pro football teams, 2 pro baseball, basketball and hockey teams. 45% of the proceeds go to the Florida Sports Foundation and other portions of the proceeds go to foundations of each teams choice.

Where are the NASCAR plates? I could have sworn I saw a Mark Martin and another driver plate? Was I dreaming?

Finally the University Group. 36 Universities have license plates in this group. I see more Florida Gator plates and Florida State University plates around Daytona then any other college plates, but there is the occasional Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University plate that drives by. You would think I would see some Stetson University plates, since it is right down the road, but I've not seen one!

Well I hope this was as much of a education for you as at it was for me. I've always wondered just how many different kind of plates there were running around our great state and now I know.

(Images of license plates courtesy of Myflorida.com Licenses, Permits & Vital Records page)

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Eva Armstrong

Environmental Visions - Tallahassee, FL

Environmental Visions

Hi Lysa, Very informative - but you left out the MOST attractive and of course my personal favorite - the Save the Everglades tag which features a picture of the colorful Roseate Spoonbill!

Sep 17, 2007 01:54 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Eva, Thanks! I know of the plate, but have never taken a real good look at it!

Sep 17, 2007 01:58 AM

Nina Gail Betancourt Morgan

NatureWise Realty - Evans, GA

From Waterfront to Mountaintop

I agree with Eva that the Everglades specialty plate is definitely the prettiest. Proceeds from that plate are collected by the South Florida Water Management District.

Sep 17, 2007 02:22 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Hi Nina, That plate is very pretty! We don't see many of them in the Daytona Area tho, it's mostly the dolphin plate that is big here. Thanks for the link!

Sep 17, 2007 03:12 AM

Nina Gail Betancourt Morgan

NatureWise Realty - Evans, GA

From Waterfront to Mountaintop

It's no wonder the Dolphin Plate is so popular there. It's sponsored by the Harbor Beach Oceanographic Institute out of Ft Pierce. It funds oceanographic research and you get a free admission to the Florida Aquarium when you purchase one.

Sep 17, 2007 06:06 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Hi Nina, I'm not exactly sure where you want to go with your last comment? I'm in Daytona Beach on the other side of the state from where the Florida Aquarium is located and I had to look up Ft Pierce, which is a good 4 hour drive from here. I think the dolphin plate is so popular in the Daytona Area because the dolphin is seen quite often in our rivers and the ocean. When I was at my beachside office I would see quite a few a week.

Sep 17, 2007 06:29 AM

Nina Gail Betancourt Morgan

NatureWise Realty - Evans, GA

From Waterfront to Mountaintop

It just makes sense that the dolphin plate is so popular in your part of the state. Having been introduced and sponsored by an oceanographic research institute that's nearby. I guess they just give away the admission to the aquarium because it is a good tie-in to their cause.

The Everglades plate can be seen everywhere in South Florida and I'm sure the University plates are much more prevalent in the areas around each of those universities.

I think it's great that we have a venue for people to support their own cause or interest when renewing their license tags. Or do you think that people buy them for their looks and maybe aren't aware that they are supporting an outside cause or organization?

Sep 17, 2007 06:40 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Nina, I apologize if I sounded a bit rough in my last comment. Thanks for coming back. I Hope that the people that purchase the plates do understand each one goes to a specific organization and that they are helping to sponsor it. If the dolphin or whale plate proceeds went to Marineland in Flagler County I wonder if there would more? The proceeds go to the same place from both plates, I noticed that when I first started looking into the specialty plates here. I had never heard of the Aquarium until you mentioned it! (No big surprise though)

We have a lot of Florida Gator plates in our area too..

Sep 17, 2007 06:52 AM

Robin Lehmann

Baer's Furniture, Baers interior Design Services - Sarasota, FL

These would be called Vanity plates....all they have to do is hit a cord with the client...US, whats your passion? If it was on a plate I'd own it....why not, part of my personality, of course I want one that reads "Phoenex Scorpio" Think they will come out with Horoscope plates? The person who buys these does't care where the cash goes as long as they feel like they have labled themselves..

Keep them coming!

Robin

Nov 18, 2007 02:44 PM

Anonymous

Randy Chapman

Sadly Florida's specialty plates do not include a plate for Veterans. They have a plate for disable Vets and that is important. They have plates that say Army, Navy, Marines etc. but anyone can get those. But they do not have a plate for your regular Honorably Discharged Vet.

Same holds true for South Carolina but in New Hampshire if there is a plate for any Vet that has an Honorable Discharge. I have always felt that this was just an oversight but my emails have fallen on deft ears. And I think having an Honorably Discharge plate should not cost any extra. I'm not saying it should be free but just states could wave the additional fee.

Thanks for reading.

Dec 24, 2007 06:56 AM

#40

Brian Block

RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President - McLean, VA

Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate

Lysa, we've got you beat here in Virginia with more than 200 unique license plate designs. According to the DMV, there are plates that represent the military, emergency personnel, fraternal orders and civic or community organizations as well as a variety of other groups such as colleges and universities, conservationists, hobbyists and amateur radio enthusiasts. There's a "Realtor" plate which you see quite often. Personally, I have a Masonic license plate.

Dec 24, 2007 08:28 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Randy, I have never thought of it this way, you really do have a great point. Anyone fighting and/or serving our country should not have to pay additonal fees for an Honorable Discharge Plate. By the way, there is nothing regular about anyone that is honorably discharged from our Armed Forces.

I'm wondering who can help you on this quest?

Brian, You got us beat for sure, we also have a Realtor plate now, I believe it came out in 06. Thanks for stopping by!

Dec 24, 2007 09:33 AM

Tchaka Owen

Galleria International Realty - Hollywood, FL

Continuing with Brian's post, we have a lot more schools represented in Virginia and my own school has 2 different plates. There commonwealth rakes in extra income as well as the various groups that have these plates so it's a win-win. I believe Frank Llosa's post on plates indicated VA also has the highest percentage of vanity plates. Oddly, I have the generic Virginia plates......never selected a specialty.

Dec 26, 2007 05:11 PM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Tchaka, I believe each college is represented in FL too. I have yet to get my plate... I thought about it in Sept as I was getting my car registered, and just didn't go through with it.. yet... thanks for stopping by!

Dec 27, 2007 07:40 AM

Tchaka Owen

Galleria International Realty - Hollywood, FL

Lysa, I believe most FL colleges are represented. What I meant is that many non-VA schools have specialty plates as well. ECU, Penn State, etc, etc.

Dec 27, 2007 07:48 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Tchaka! I so misunderstood! How interesting, out of state colleges being represented on VA plates... now I like that!

Dec 27, 2007 07:51 AM

Dee Toohey

Innovative Realty Solutions Group - Longwood, FL

Broker, ABR, AHWD, CIPS, FMS, ePro

Ok, your post made me laugh! It's true there are just so many vanity plates in Florida that I don't always recognize a Florida plate!

Personally, while some of the plates are cool looking, I'm not giving the State any more money that I have to in order to register my car in the State!

Feb 28, 2008 03:57 AM

Lysa Napolitano

Daytona Beach, FL

Dee, Since I wrote this we are up to 107 The extra money doesn't go to the state, it goes to the various groups the plates are made for. (just in case you ever decide to get one) :)

Mar 01, 2008 09:54 PM

Tchaka Owen

Galleria International Realty - Hollywood, FL

Lysa, are you sure the additional revenue isn't shared between the state and the group(s)?

Mar 02, 2008 01:58 AM

Anonymous

Grace Illsley

As a visitor to Florida, it would be fun to have a "Florida License" bingo to play as we drive!

Mar 21, 2015 01:46 AM

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