License Plates – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Jane Rix
The Sunshine State is offering some new swag to add to vehicles. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles released and made two brand-new license plates available statewide.
In July, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a Gadsden flag license plate featuring the historic slogan, “Don’t Tread On Me.” Now, any resident who wants one can get their hands on the plate.
Every purchase of the Gadsden Flag specialty plate goes to the Florida Veterans Foundation, which FLHSMV said is a “a direct-support organization of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, to be used to benefit veterans.”
The University of Florida now offers a freshly updated UF license plate if you would rather represent your alma mater. According to officials, this is the third design iteration of the plate.
These plates come after the FLHSMV announced the introduction of 12 new designs in June, including a set of Divine Nine specialty plates, a more recent America the Beautiful design, a Florida sunset, and a military service plate for people who served in the armed forces during the Cold War.
The Divine Nine plates, which were unveiled in June, pay homage to the nine African American Greek organizations that members can join. Proceeds from the sale of the plates go to the United Negro College Fund, which provides scholarships to Florida residents attending historically black colleges and universities in the Sunshine State.
The organizations featured for the specialty license plates are as follows:
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
- Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
- Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity
- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority
- Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority
- Iota Phi Theta Fraternity
America the Beautiful plates also donate to charity, with funds from purchases going to the “America the Beautiful Fund for projects and programs teaching character, leadership, and service to Florida youth” according to FLHSMV in June.
The Army of Occupation Military service members who served between May 9, 1945, and October 2, 1990, are the only ones who can choose the military design.
Florida residents can obtain any specialty plate through their neighborhood tax collector or license plate company. You can find a comprehensive list of specialty plates online. According to official statistics, Florida had approximately two million specialty license plates registered as of December 2.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
