​A California license plate with the personalized characters of 'MALIBU' is being 'auctioned' by its owner in Malibu for a minimum of $85,000.00.
Think that is a lot?
In April, 2018, the world’s most expensive license plate was up for sale – with a staggering $20 million price tag.
The “F1” registration, which is for a car in the United Kingdom, was listed for sale for the first time in a decade.
Believed to be owned by Kahn Design founder Afzal Kahn, it was last seen on his Bugatti Veyron SuperSport.
It’s the most sought-after plate in the UK – and world – given its links to the pinnacle of motoring: Formula One.
Kahn bought the plate back in 2008 for the now seemingly bargain price of $531,000 from the Essex Council. The council had owned the plate for 104-years but might be wishing they’d hung onto it a bit longer.

​Kahn allegedly turned down an $8.5 million offer in 2014. The plate is apparently listed on Regtransfers.co.uk with a base fee of $20 million. But Kahn himself denies that he will part with it at any price.
With the addition of taxes any buyer will have to stump up $20.4 million to get the plate. Kahn posted a photo of the “F1” plate fitted to the Bugatti on Instagram last summer. It’s one of just three made by Kahn Designs – a UK-based car builder which transforms cars into one-offs. The latest model was a six-wheeled Flying Huntsman based on a Land Rover Defender worth $354,000. It would smash the current UK number plate record which stands at $813,622 paid for “25 O”.

​A man by the name of John Collins who drove a Ferrari 250 SWB, decided it was time to take his car to the next level. The owner of a company called Talacrest, Collins shelled out 518,000 Euros or $813,622 for the license plate '25 O.' The license plate was special, but the car it was going on may be even more valuable.
The Ferrari 250 SWB Mr. Collins owned previously belonged to Eric Clapton. The combination makes his 1964 'rari one of the most expensive cars in the world. The license plate purchase also set a record for Britain's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Collins walked away from this particular auction with not one, but two plates. He also purchased a plate that reads '250 L.' He spent over $200,000 on this one for his second Ferrari.

​In 2008, Saeed Abdul Ghafour Khouri set the world record by paying 52.2 dirham ($14.3 million) for the license plate '1.'
Khouri, who lives in an oil rich, Persian Gulf city, is part of car-centric culture, all of whom depend on cars as their only means of transportation. There are very few other options to get around, and almost no forms of public transportation. The car you drive means everything—and so does having a great vanity plate to go with it. A strong license plate represents "pride, indulgence, and confidence."
And no one can question that of Saeed Khouri. His record setting purchase makes him the owner of the most expensive license plate in the world.

​Back to reality in the USA, where sometimes it is difficult to transfer ownership of personalized plates, other than in Texas, where the program has been privatized, one of the most expensive license plates ever purchased in United States history is th 1921 Alaska plate, one of only four to exist in the world, holds meaning for its historic relevance. These four plates are known to be the only ones still around from the time before Alaska was officially deemed a state.
​Old 20th century Alaska plates are the most valuable, and hard to find, due to the previous inability to get cars to Alaska prior to the advancement of transportation and technology. With the weather being so harsh, Alaska could not support a large amount of cars on their roads. This particular plate, one of the last four, was sold in the year 2000 for a lofty amount of $60,000. To make the exchange even more notable, allegedly it was done in the back of a Wendy's parking lot, probably the shadiest of license plate deals in history too.

So, let's see who steps up to the plate in Malibu.
​Maybe Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, entertainment mogul David Geffen, former Dodgers CEO Jamie Court, all residents of Billionaire's Beach, the one mile stretch of Carbon Beach. Or maybe Miley Cyrus to add to her black G-wagon to race around Ramirez Canyon. Or long-time residents Charlie Sheen, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Nicholson, Halle Berry, Mel Gibson, Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Hanks, Courtney Cox, Steven Spielberg, Sean Penn, Janet Jackson, Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, Pink, Bill Murray, Bob Dylan, Richard Gere, Mel Brooks, Axl Rose, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, Sting, Barbra Steisand, Patrick Dempsey, John Cusack, Danny DeVito, Nick Nolte, Shirley MacLaine, Howie Mandel, Giada De Laurentiis, Emilio Estevez, Brad Paisley, Matt Groening, Josh Groban, John Lydon, Stephen Dorff, Jimmy Page, Rick Rubin, and of course, Rande Gerber could spend some of his Casamigos money, or maybe George Clooney can gift it to him. Or to one of the summer renters, like Michael Milken or Beyonce, who pay $200K a month for the privilege of calling Carbon Beach their temporary summer home. Or , lastly, and maybe not as well-received as his beach-side parties, Big Mike.

​The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is phasing out full color designs of specialty license plates in favor of a uniform white background plate with a 3" by 3" left-sided logo.
It is expected that the final phase of specialty license plates, which includes the current EarthEcho International Protect Wild Dolphins' specialty license plate designed by famous marine artist Steve Diossy, will be re-designed as early as January, 2019.  Most other plates have already undergone the change.

​A total of 71 active State of the Arts license plates are in use in Nassau County. These specialty license plates fund local cultural programs.
Florida has several specialty license plates available. Each specialty license plate has an authorized recipient. The state keeps $5 from each plate purchased and then passes the balance of the surcharge on to the authorized recipient. 
The Florida Times Union compiled a list of the top 10 authorized recipients based on dollar receipts from the specialty license plates from 2012 through 2017. At the top of the list is the University of Florida with the recipient goal of “benefitting academic enhancement.” In the last five years, UF has received more than $13 million from the license plate fund. The recipient in 10th place is the United States Marine Corps’ scholarship fund, which received more than $3 million in the last five years.
If you purchase a State of the Arts specialty license plate, which supports art and culture in Florida, funding from plates purchased in Nassau County is returned directly to the county.
The Nassau County commissioners have designated Arts and Culture Nassau as the organization to manage these funds for the benefit of all county citizens. While the Nassau County license plate fund receipts over the last five years of $18,000 pales in comparison to the UF fund receipts, it is money that is available to directly benefit Nassau County residents.
Currently, however, there are only 71 active State of the Arts license plates in Nassau County. Even with that limited number, Arts and Culture Nassau has been able to make a local impact.
Arts and Culture Nassau instituted a grant program to support non-profit organizations in Nassau County with youth programs in the area of arts and culture. It has an updated brochure promoting non-profit arts and culture organizations in Nassau County to both residents and visitors. Arts and Culture Nassau also hosts an annual community forum for arts and culture organizations in Nassau County as a medium for these organizations to interact with the Nassau County community. 
The forum will be held Oct. 6 at the Peck Center auditorium, 516 S. 10th St., Fernandina Beach. All organizations in Nassau County with youth programs related to arts or culture are invited to come and set up an informational table and activity for children. The organizations are also welcome to do a five- to 10-minute presentation featuring their programs. 
An RSVP is required by Monday to Liz Taylor at [email protected] or 904-261-7378, ext.100. The event is free and open to the public to peruse the various programs and opportunities available for their children or grandchildren.

On August 18, 2018, Dr. Joshua Hutcheson was named as the "Stop Heart Disease" Researcher of the Year at the annual meeting of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology.  Dr. Hutcheson is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University, Miami, Florida and directs the Cardiovascular Matrix Remodeling Laboratory. Dr. Hutcheson is also an active member of the Biomolecular Sciences Institute at FIU, and his research that merits this award includes discovery of cellular and molecular mechanisms of aortic valve disease and atherosclerosis and novel methods to detect these diseases in asymptomatic patients. Dr. Hutcheson is committed to increasing education and awareness of cardiovascular disease through a variety of community outreach programs that he directs.  For his achievements in cardiovascular research, Dr. Hutcheson received $25,000 from the Florida Heart Research Foundation to be applied toward future cardiac research in Florida.
This prestigious award is made possible only through the sale proceeds of our "Stop Heart Disease" license plate in the State of Florida.  The Florida Heart Research Foundation, Inc. awards funds to support research within the State of Florida to further understand heart disease and its causes, treatment, cure and prevention.  Heart disease is the primary cause of death among Americans, more than all of the major diseases combined!  
To Switch at No Cost to the Stop Heart Disease plate and support research, education and prevention programs in the State of Florida, please visit our website at www.stopheartdisease.org and get your plate today.

​AUSTIN, Texas - To mark the 100th anniversary of the standardized Texas license plate design, implemented in 1917, the TxDMV introduced a special 100 year plate. 
Texans who want to show their state pride by displaying this plate on their vehicle must order before the end of August 2018. 
"The specialty license plate program allows drivers to give their plates a more personal touch. Plate enthusiasts, collectors, historians, and everyday Texans can commemorate this 100-year milestone by displaying a piece of plate history," said TxDMV executive Director Whitney Brewster. 
Texans who order this historic plate will pay $30 per year and be able to renew it annually. But no new orders will be accepted after Aug. 31, 2018.
To honor the 100-year milestone, the anniversary plate includes features from the past and present:

• The seal in the center of the plate is reminiscent of the 1917 radiator seal.
• The top corners of the plate include "19" and "17."
• the plate includes security threads and the words "TEXAS" on a white background just as it is on the current general-issue plate. 

Officials with Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission describe the plate as having “hues of a nighttime sky with a golden Oklahoma sunset.” The plate, designed by Oklahoma artist Christopher Nick, is a “nod to commercial, military and general aviation.” Funds from the plate will be used to support aviation workforce and infrastructure projects within the state airport system.”
The plate can be personalized or pre-numbered, and officials say the plate looks best personalized with five to six characters. To order the plate, click here.

​Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms hopes to create a specialty Tennessee license plate celebrating East Nashville and the park. To do so, the nonprofit needs to secure more than 1,000 pre-orders for the plate — featuring a Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms logo and golf, hiking, baseball and kite symbols to represent park activities — by December 2019, the group said in a press release. The plate also has the words "East Nashville" on the bottom, with the "I" dotted with a tomato, a nod the East Nashville's annual Tomato Art Fest, which happens this weekend. The organization will have a booth set up at the festival Saturday where people can pre-order the plate. Tennessee motorists also can pre-order through the organization's website, FriendsOfShelby.org. If group fails to get the 1,000 pre-orders needed, the $35 fee will be turned over to Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms as a donation. "We are excited for our friends and East Nashville neighbors to sign up for the specialty license plate, which represents the community and Shelby Park, and gives East Nashvillians a way to showcase their local pride while supporting meaningful, long-term improvements in the park," said Paul Hoffmann, president of Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms.  The state legislature also has to approve the plate, and the group says it plans to approach legislators from the Nashville area in January to ask them to sponsor the effort.