​The winner of the 2018 Automobile License Plate Collectors Association' s annual Best Worldwide Plate Award was Maryland with its redesigned Treasure the Chesapeake optional license plate. The plate has been redesigned three times. Austin Boudreaux (Junior member) stated, "The background of the plate is very peaceful, pleasant and visually appealing. The digits were visible right where they were placed." This is the second time Maryland has won this award. The first time was in 1984 with their 350th Anniversary plate.

​The original version of the Bay Plate, as the locals call it, was first issued in 1990 and replaced with the current design in 2003. After 14 years, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) decided it was time for a new design, although it was still very popular. They requested designs from Maryland-based artists. The best of the 250 alternative designs were then voted upon by the people. The winning design was the work of Tina Cardosi through her company TM Design Inc. and the plates went on sale on October 29, 2018.

​Although Maryland won with 714 points which was a comfortable margin above the competition. Nevertheless, plates from several other jurisdictions garnered a significant number of votes. Florida came in second with 564 points, Oklahoma was third with 519 points and Japan was fourth with 492 points. It is interesting that the top 3 plates were all redesigns of plates raising funds for worthy causes. Iowa came in fifth.
This was the highest rate of participation by the members of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association.

​The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offers 17 dedicated plates that cost $50 for the initial purchase and an additional $10 a year that goes to causes ranging from supporting parks to endangered species to helping children of fallen law enforcement officers. The Battleship New Jersey plate has a $15 annual renewal fee and the Garden State agriculture plate carries no renewal fee, but it costs $70 to buy.
Some plates issued in the past for specific causes have been discontinued because of lack of sales.

The MVC initially resisted issuing "Choose Life" plates requested by the Children First Foundation to promote adoption because it was seen as weighing in on the more controversial abortion issue, but in 2010, the plate was made available. While MVC officials said that plate is still offered, sale figures were not included among statistics the commission provided to the state legislature earlier this year. It also is not listed on the MVC website with other dedicated plates.

​1. Shore to Please (43,763).
With 130 miles of oceanfront coastline, proceeds support special New Jersey shore cleanup programs.

​2. Law Enforcement Memorial (31,262).
This license plate is a visible and financial show of support for families of police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. The proceeds help fund scholarships for children of officers who died in the line of duty. The scholarship is administered by the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. 

​3. Conquer Cancer (19,356).
Helps the fight to find a cure and express visible support to others fighting the disease. Proceeds from the plate help the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research support cancer research projects in the state. 

​4. USS New Jersey/ ‘Battleship’ (14,447).
The historic World War II battleship preserved in Camden. Built in 1943, the Battleship New Jersey was decommissioned in 1991. Proceeds from sales help support the battleship's restoration and exhibition through the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial. Last year, sales increased 4,628 increase from 2017 sales.

​5. Animal Friendly (13,295).
The letters IM are placed so the plates read “I’m animal friendly” and proceeds benefit low cost neutering and spaying programs in the state. This is the second version of this popular plate. The first 1995 version featured a dog and cat and paw prints as the design. 

​Wildlife Conservation (Bald Eagle) sold 10,132, United We Stand 9,742, Agriculture/Garden State 7,166, Treasure our Trees 3,838 and Pinelands 3,599, round out the top 10. Sales of the Pinelands plate literally contribute to more Pinelands by helping to buy more land for the Pinelands National Reserve that spans seven southern counties.

​With the Legacy plate bringing in $27,303,805 with 669,083 plates in circulation as of December 1, 2018, compared to $23,853,384 (450,955) in 2017, other California special interest plates have shown a significant decline. The Coastal Commission’s 'Whale Tail’ plate dropped from $6,054,721 (82,805 plates) in 2017 to $5,286,907 (79,934 plates) in 2018; the ‘Kids’ plate has dropped from $4,524,346 (109,967 plates) to $3,960,927 (107,721 plates); and the ‘Arts’ plate has dropped from $3,773,030 (52,840) to $3,297,539 (50,485). The only plates seeing an increase in sales from 2017 to 2018 are the newly introduced Breast Cancer Awareness ‘Pink’ plate, the Museum ‘Snoopy’ plate.
The reason for this could well be the influence of the cost of personalizing the specific plate. While every specialty plate requires an additional $50.00 fee to personalize the plate (known as the ‘Environmental License Plate Fund’ fee, which goes to the environmental fund, which is the same as where all of the funds from the Legacy plates go), the Legacy plate does not require the additional fee. So instead of it costing $103.00 for a personalized plate, the Legacy plate only costs $50.00 whether personalized or not. It also provides a ‘blank’ black canvas for the yellow lettering for personalizations up to 7 characters.
As much as the environmental fund is a great cause, so are the other causes supported by the other specialty license plates and all the while they are being charged extra, there will probably be a continued decline in their sales. Maybe it’s time to level the playing field and remove the ELP Fund fee for personalizing other specialty plates, since the ELP Fund is certainly doing very well with $27 million and counting in annual fees now going into that fund through the Legacy plate?

​Total revenue for specialty license plates for July 2019 was $2,918,801.00, an increase of $277,805.00 (10.5%) from $2,640,996.00 in July, 2018. 
For July, 2019, Endless Summer was the highest grossing plate at $177,025.00 ($149,450.00 in July, 2018), followed by University of Florida at $172,725.00 ($164,700.00 in July, 2018), followed by Helping Sea Turtles at $165,485.00 ($144,555.00 in July, 2018) and Florida State University at $134,950.00 ($130,425.00 in July, 2018).
The new Black/Vice Nights Miami Heat showed the biggest overall percentage revenue increase compared to July, 2018, at a staggering 41.5%, bringing in $96,400.00, compared to $68,150.00 in July, 2018. 
Endless Summer sold the most new plates for July 2019 bringing in 1,731, with Helping Sea Turtles selling 1,226 and Miami Heat came in third selling 880.
On the other end of the spectrum, Warner Southern College raised $75.00 and Lynn University raised $200.00.

​Specialty plate sales in the state of Arizona have raised $11.2 million for shareable cases, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Arizona has a population of about 7 million, compared to 21 million in Florida.
 
The causes that the $11.2 million supports ranged from Arizona veterans programs, Special Olympics, organ donation, hunger relief, university scholarships and many others.
 
ADOT reported that money raised has steadily grown for a number of years with $8.7 million in 2015, $9.4 million in 2016 and more than $9.8 million in 2017, followed by $10.6 million in 2018
 
Through a prepared statement, ADOT Motor Vehicle Division Director Erik Jorgensen stated “The specialty plate program is a real point for pride for Arizona and is a tremendous success. Raising more than $11 million in the last fiscal year proves Arizonans are both generous and eager to support great causes and organizations they believe in.”
 
ADOT said that drivers who wish to select a plate can go to servicearizona.com and once a selection is made, may click on a link for more information that outlines the cause supported by the plate’s sale.
 
Once in the portal, it is possible to select and click on the plate style, enter your choice of letter and/or numbers and click to see if that combination is taken or not free of charge. When ordering the plate, one must: Enter the vehicle information for the vehicle you are requesting the specialty plate, confirm record information displaying it’s for the correct vehicle, select your plate sale and plate format (if applicable), view total fees, provide credit card information and pay fee, print confirmation and attach to your current registration until your request plate arrives, provide feedback by answering a quick and simple optional survey.
 
Specialty plates are created by an act of the ArizonaLegislature. The program, which began in 1989, is administered by the MVD.

In 1905, the state of Florida required car owners to register their vehicles and issued paper certificates to be displayed on the vehicle. The first plate, made of leather, was issued in 1906. It went to metal in 1910, porcelain in 1912 and tin in 1918. Plates became the responsibility of counties in 1911. The state took over registration in 1917, giving everyone two plates. That was reduced to one plate in 1922. During the Depression, stealing plates was common because people couldn’t afford them.
Between 1938 and 1975, the state assigned each of its 67 counties a number. A county’s number was assigned by its population rank in the state’s 1935 census. Over the years, counties fluctuated in size, but the numbers stayed untouched over the tenure of the program.
1. Dade (now Miami-Dade)
2. Duval (Jacksonville)
3. Hillsborough (Tampa)
4. Pinellas (St. Petersburg)
5. Polk (Lakeland)
6. Palm Beach
7. Orange (Orlando)
8. Volusia (Daytona Beach)
9. Escambia (Pensacola)
10. Broward (Fort Lauderdale)
A 90 was a duplicate, meaning the owner had gotten a duplicate tag to replace a lost or stolen one. A 68 meant you got your tag at the state agency in Tallahassee, by mail or in person, instead of a particular county.
“Sunshine State” first appeared in 1949. A grapefruit in a corner, done in 1935, lasted only a year; it looked too much like a bomb.
“Disabled veteran” started in 1951. That same year, a “Keep Florida Green” slogan was tried; it lasted only a year because some said it sounded like the state wanted all the tourists’ money.
In 1957, “Horseless Carriage” was adopted for vehicles whose bodies and engine -- not just kits -- were at least 35 years old and which were driven for historical exhibitions. The 1965 tag marked the 400th anniversary of the first European encounter with Florida. “National Guard” was added that year as well. A wheelchair plate was added in 1974.
Beginning in 1963, tags were required for mobile homes, house trailers and campers.
In 1972, the state began allowing people to pick their own “vanity plate” number-letter combination for a $12 surcharge. In 1975, to cut costs, the state began issuing renewal decals instead of all-new plates. In 1978, Florida went to a mandatory alphanumeric system to allow for more combinations.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the state began adding notations such as “U.S. Reserve,” “Ex-POW,” “Pearl Harbor Survivor” and “Medal of Honor.” The first specialty plate, to honor the Challenger astronauts, was issued in 1987. State universities followed that same year and private ones after that. The state also added such specialty plates as “Save the Manatee,” “Florida Panther” and “Choose Life,” which encourages adoption.
Seminole and Miccosukee motorists get free license plates, which are issued directly by tag agencies of the two tribes.

​Courtesy of Eliot Kleinberg
A staff writer for the past three decades at The Palm Beach Post in West Palm Beach, and is the author of 10 books about Florida (www.ekfla.com). Florida Time is a product of GateHouse Media and publishes online in their 22 Florida markets including Jacksonville, Fort Walton Beach, Daytona Beach, Lakeland, Sarasota and West Palm Beach. Submit your questions, comments or memories to [email protected]. Include your full name and hometown. Sorry; no personal replies.
 

​Fans of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse have another way to show off their support for the north county historical landmark.
Starting Aug. 1, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse will be featured on every new Visit Our Lights specialty license plate sold by Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. There is a $25 annual special fee for the plates, in addition to registration fees. Proceeds benefit the Florida Lighthouse Association, a nonprofit that supports the preservation of the state’s lighthouses. Car owners can get the new plate in the 90 days before their renewal date.
The current, original version of the specialty plate, available for purchase since 2008, depicts the striped St. Augustine Lighthouse. The new version showing the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse should be available for at least the next 10 years, said Jamie Stuve, president and CEO of the Loxahatchee River Historical Society, the nonprofit that operates the lighthouse and its museum.
The lighthouse association is a cause worthy of statewide support, Stuve said. It provides grants to the state’s lighthouses and can dole that money out quickly, which is often critical for entities managing these historical structures, Stuve said.
Since 2009, the association has distributed more than $675,000 in grants supported by the sale of its specialty license plates, association president Chris Belcher said.
Now that Jupiter’s lighthouse is prominently featured, Stuve said she expects to see the number of lighthouse specialty plates rise in Palm Beach County.
“I just think it will be such a joy to be driving around seeing these lighthouses ... on everybody’s car,” Stuve said.
It’s beneficial from a marketing perspective, Stuve said, adding that the historical society plans on “promoting this endlessly.”
The new version of the Florida Lighthouse Association license plate has been in the works for about two years, Stuve said. The group’s marketing committee and board members selected the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, said Sharon McKenzie, the association’s marketing chair. Florida-based master artist Lise Yust, now deceased, and graphic designer Dan Spinella designed the plate, McKenzie said.
The committee didn’t seek applications, McKenzie said. They were drawn to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse for a few different reasons, she said.
“Probably part of it was the lantern room,” she said. “The metal work on the lantern room is very pretty and the color I think has something to do with it.”
Stuve was effusive for the Florida Lighthouse Association, as well as all of the lighthouses it supports.
“I mean, they’re all incredible,” Stuve said of the state’s lighthouses. “It’s such a great class to be chosen out of. It’s really remarkable.”
[email protected]
@SamuelHHoward
Story courtesy of Palm Beach Post: