The WOMEN’S BREAST & HEART INITIATIVE has revealed their design for their proposed new specialty license plate that is currently in the presale stage. 3,000 have to be sold prior to October 1, 2023 to make it a reality.
"The beautiful hues of teal and orange and the silhouettes represent the vibrancy of Florida –all of us moving together towards disease prevention & early detection."
Every voucher purchased will support their mission, to transform and save lives while providing the resources necessary to beat the odds of breast cancer and heart disease.
Vouchers may be purchased online here - or at your local Tax Collector's Office.

For more information on the Women's Breast & Heart Initiative, click here.
​

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), it is committed to "modernizing nearly every aspect of what we do and how customers access our services." As part of that commitment, FLHSMV is "stepping into the future and developing an intuitive mobile driver license – Florida Smart ID."
Spearheaded by Representative Chip LaMarca, HB 1313 was passed by the Florida Legislature earlier this year and the bill required the FLHSMV to establish a secure and uniform system for issuing optional digital proofs of driver licenses and identification cards. Under the bill, FLHSMV may contract with one or more private entities to develop an electronic credentialing system. The electronic credentialing system may not retain Internet Protocol addresses, geolocation data, or other information that describes the location, computer, computer system, or computer network from which a customer accesses the system.
In an update before a Senate panel in October, FLHSMV officials said the Florida Smart-ID app was already live but not available to the public. The department said it was on schedule to put the digital ID public on the Apple App Store and Android Google Play store in mid-November.
Senate Transportation Committee Chair Gayle Harrell called smartphones a marvelous tool for digital driver’s licenses and other identifications.The state began the process to develop digital driver’s licenses in 2014, with many failed attempts by legislators trying to get the technology approved by the state legislature prior to this year, particularly by former state representative Jamie Grant, who abruptly ended his reelection campaign in 2020 to become the state's first Chief Information Officer. No doubt the real driving force behind the adoption of the technology. In his new role, Grant will oversee Florida Digital Service (FDS), which aims to transform delivery of government services to Floridians through design and technology.
[If you have questions regarding Florida Smart ID, please email [email protected].]
When he stepped down to take his new position, he stated: “I’m honored to lead the charge for digital innovation in Florida and excited to leverage technology to problem solve and rapidly respond to individuals, families, and businesses seeking to engage with state government,” Grant said. “Through new technology, top talent, and private and public sector collaboration, we will fundamentally change the way we serve and communicate with the people of Florida.”
Grant was one of the chief architects of FDS. In the 2020 Session, he sponsored the bill creating the service as a replacement for the Division of State Technology. It is charged with maintaining state data, setting up testing environments to demo state software before it’s rolled out, and facilitating data sharing between government agencies.
“Governor DeSantis and I are dedicated to transforming the way government deploys technology to better serve Floridians, who deserve superior customer service and expect government to operate effectively,” DMS Secretary Jonathan Satter said. “I’m confident that Rep. Grant’s pioneering mindset and policy acumen will help us recruit the brightest tech talent to serve in government and accelerate digital transformation in our state.”
Grant was among the more tech savvy lawmakers in the House, often sponsoring legislation to modernize state government operations. His business background includes work as a senior solutions architect as well as technology strategist in medtech, blockchain, and software as a service.

The Florida Smart ID app is a secure version of your driver license, which can be downloaded on your smart device when launched. It is not simply a photo of your license. When used with an associated Florida Smart ID Verifier, customers can provide a safe, trusted and contactless proof of identity or age.
After downloading and authenticating, Florida motorists will simply launch their Florida Smart ID app, select the type of verification needed, and display the QR/barcode on their smart device to be scanned for verification. The smart device does not need to leave the owner’s hand when being verified by a retailer or by law enforcement, making Florida Smart ID a contact-free and convenient way to display proof of identity or age.
In the future, Florida residents will be able to apply for a Florida Smart ID that is easily accessible on iOS and Android devices, including smartphones, tablets and other smart devices. Florida Smart ID is an optional tool for Floridians as a convenient, digital and secure backup to your physical Florida driver license.
However, it does not replace the physical driver license yet, which will still need to be carried when operating a motor vehicle. Hopefully, this will be embraced soon, and, hopefully, other digital technologies will follow, including the approval of digital license plates.

When launched, Florida motorists can download and activate the optional and easy-to-use Florida Smart ID for a contact-free and convenient way to display proof of identity or age. 
To gather important feedback from the public and partners, the department is currently hosting Florida Smart ID pilot events with limited participants from across the state, representing the general public, retailers, law enforcement partners, and more. The pilot will allow FLHSMV to improve and optimize Florida Smart ID and an associated verifier application prior to the statewide launch.
If you have questions regarding Florida Smart ID, please email [email protected].

​A State of California Department of Motor Vehicles report on Specialized (Specialty) License plates for 2019 reveals startling effects of how marketing may impact sales of specialty license plates.
According to the report there may be a direct impact of the amount of marketing expenditures on the actual annual revenue generated from certain specialty license plates, although the report does not comment or reveal the types of marketing that were implemented.

The Kids specialty license plate utilized 21.15% in marketing fees and generated $3,513,857.00. The Coastal (Whale Tail) tag expended 14.66% in marketing fees and generated $1,304,004.00. In comparison, the Breast Cancer Awareness license plate used 0% for marketing and collected $244,606.68 in revenue and the California Cultural/Historical Endowment (Snoopy) plate utilized 5.78% in marketing fees and collected $391,212.90 in total revenue.
Since the introduction of the Legacy plate, the retro black plate with yellow writing, there has been a significant decline in revenue for most of the other specialty license plates in California. The Legacy plate is generating in excess of $30 million total revenue annually for the Environmental License Plate Fund.

Other than 'Explore our State Parks,' 30A.com/Scenic Walton tops the list of voucher sales for the new batch.

​A bill that would let drivers buy the license plate that graced Garden State cars and trucks between 1979 and 1991 that was proposed more than a year ago by State Senator Kristen Corrado, R-Passaic, cleared a crucial committee Monday and is a step closer to putting the blue plate special in drivers’ hands.
The state senate Transportation Committee voted 6-0 Monday to release the bill that she introduced on Nov. 16, 2020. A companion bill in the state Assembly that was also proposed in Nov. 2020 hasn’t been as lucky. It is still waiting for a hearing by that body’s transportation and independent authorities committee.
The next step for Corrado’s bill, S-3181, would be posting it for a vote by the full Senate.
The target audience for the throwback license plates are car collectors who would be likely to buy a vintage style license plate to adorn their classic ride, Corrado said.
“The idea to revive New Jersey’s vintage license plate was recommended by a constituent,” she said in a statement. “Many New Jerseyans, especially classic car enthusiasts, favor the vintage license plate design that gained popularity in the ‘80s. My legislation will actually give drivers the opportunity to purchase something that is truly different and unique.”

New Jersey wouldn’t be the first state to do it. That honor goes to California and Montana. California's legacy black plate with yellow writing that resembles the 1963 plate and is very popular, raising in excess of $50 million per year.  Montana also lets motorists choose from any one of the previous passenger base license plates, back to 1987.
Neighboring New York state has a variation of that concept. It offers drivers the opportunity to register a classic car that is at least 25 years old using a set of vintage New York license plates that were issued the year the vehicle was manufactured that the owner already possesses.
“Various states have brought back retro license plates and found there to be great demand,” Corrado said. “In fact, these plates have proven to be very profitable.”
There’s a long road before the baby blue plate can join the other specialty license plates offered by the MVC. First, there has to be enough of a demand by drivers to cover the $25,000 cost to design, produce and market the throwback license plate, before any are made.
The plate would cost $50 to buy and an additional $10 annually, added to the vehicle registration fee.
Since the proposed laws require sales of specialty license plates to cover their costs, Corrado said in an earlier interview there is little cost or financial risk to the state.
“The way the legislation is structured, there’s no reason not to do it,” she said.

The new Miami Heat specialty license plate design is available for purchase from December 6, 2021. It can be purchased online here.
​The new design replaces the slogan 'American Airlines Arena' with 'FTX Arena.'

According to the FLHSMV, as of November 1, 2021, the Heat specialty license plate has the fifth highest number of plates on Florida roads: 60,706. In 2020, the Miami Heat specialty license plate collected $1,244,675,00, up from $1,144,300.00 in 2019.

AmericanAirlines Arena officially became FTX Arena in June, 2021, with the home of the Miami Heat now named for the cryptocurrency exchange.
The renaming was made at a “Trading Day” event at the arena, with Heat President Eric Woolworth, FTX Chief Executive Officer Sam Bankman-Fried and Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava among those in attendance, as well as Heat players Bam Adebayo and Udonis Haslem. The Heat’s three NBA championship trophies were featured prominently on stage for the event.
American Airlines signage at the arena was removed shortly after the Heat’s first-round elimination from the NBA playoffs.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The name change is part of a 19-year, $135 million rights agreement with FTX, which also has established a partnership with the Heat. The 19-year term coincides with the remaining term of Heat’s lease at the facility.
Under the arena’s operating agreement, naming rights for the facility that hosts the three-time NBA champion are negotiated by the Miami-Dade County in coordination with the Heat.
The county’s agreement calls for an annual payment of $2 million per year from the naming rights to the Heat.

​Since 1996 the HEAT and the Florida Sports Foundation have been partnered in support of Florida’s youth and sports. The proceeds from the annual sale and renewal of the Miami HEAT license plate benefit The Miami HEAT Charitable Fund and the Florida Sports Foundation Major & Regional Grant Program.
The Miami HEAT Charitable Fund supports programs for the betterment of at-risk families in South Florida. Beneficiaries include SafeSpace, a domestic violence shelter for women and children, the Jackson Memorial Foundation’s Guardian Angels and Holtz Children’s Hospital, and the Miami Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community. The Miami HEAT Charitable Fund also provides educational scholarships for high school seniors and partners with inner-city elementary schools to fund the HEAT Academy, which provides after-school tutoring and mentoring programs. Through these initiatives, the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund continues to inspire the youth of South Florida to envision their dreams and achieve their goals. 

The all new Walt Disney World specialty license plate saw sales of $436,050.00 just in the month of September, and another $222,225.00 in October, bringing the total sales to a whopping $772,650.00 since the release of the plate in late August. Endless Summer, the top selling plate in Florida, saw total sales of $215,425.00 in the month of September and $214,575.00 in October, bringing their total year to date to $2,133.900.00, for the 10 months of 2021. The total in the twelve months of 2020 for Endless Summer was $2,160,575.00, up $390,000.00 from 2019.
The demand for the new Disney plate has been unprecedented and many Tax Collectors do not have any inventory to meet demand - including MyFloridaSpecialtyPlate. 
According to FLHSMV, as of December 1, 2021, there are now 13,369 Walt Disney world specialty license plates on Florida roads, making it the 44th most popular specialty license plate already, surpassing Indian River Lagoon (13.091) and United We Stand (12,910).
The great news is that most of those funds, from the $25.00 user fee, will ultimately go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida, Inc. for activities and programs for critically ill children, once the FLHSMV have deducted their operational and start up cost, which is unknown at this time. FLHSMV also deducts its annual SLP program operating and management fees from the user fee biennial payments and also receives a $28 'metal plate replacement fee' and an ongoing $2.80 'advance metal plate replacement fee' with each order, in addition to the $5.00 'specialty license plate processing fee', generating over  $1,000,000.00 so far to the state coffers from the Disney plate alone.
The Disney plate also collected over 11,000 presale vouchers and the state charged a $3.00 processing fee for those presale vouchers as well.

The Florida Highwaymen will host an event Thursday night, December 2nd, to encourage people to purchase its specialty license plate, which needs 3,000 pre-sale vouchers before October before production can begin.
Vouchers can be purchased for $39.95, and representatives from the St. Lucie tax collector's office will be on-site to assist. The event will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Treasure Coast Lexus dealership, 5121 U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce.

Purchasers will be entered into a drawing to win a Highwaymen painting. The first 25 attendees over the age of 70 will be given a free, pre-paid voucher for a license plate.

"If you're not able to afford the Highwaymen painting, you can definitely have one on your car," said Doretha Hair Truesdell, widow of the original and founding Highwayman Alfred Hair.

Who were The Highwaymen?
The Highwaymen were a group of Black artists that originated in Fort Pierce, known for painting Florida landscapes under the tutelage of A.E. "Bean" Backus. Kept out of white-owned galleries, they sold their artwork along roadsides in the 1960s and ’70s.

Honoring the group's work through a specialty license plate has been an uphill battle in the state Legislature.

Former Rep. Larry Lee Jr., D-Port St. Lucie, filed a bill to create the license plate, but it did not pass the 2018 legislative session. Former Rep. Delores Hogan Johnson, D-Fort Pierce, reintroduced the bill in 2019 after Lee retired, but it died in committee.

​Fees collected through the specialty license plate will go toward the construction and operation of a Highwaymen museum in Fort Pierce's Lincoln Park neighborhood, Truesdell said. Funds also will help the St. Lucie Education Foundation pay for art education and other art projects in local public schools.

"It's our heart's desire, after all these years, to have our own museum," Truesdell said. "It would come full circle."

​For years, Biscayne Bay has experienced fish kills, seagrass die-offs, and run-off pollution from fertilizers and construction of towering beachside condos. In June, an evaluation by Miami-Dade County rated a significant portion of its bayside waters — home to manatees, dolphins, and other marine life —as "poor" or "fair."

It was considered a win for Miami-Dade environmentalists when bipartisan legislation for a specialty license plate to benefit Biscayne Bay drafted by Sen. Ileana Garcia (R-Miami) and Rep. Nicholas Duran (D-Miami) was signed into law this summer. Funds from the Protect Biscayne Bay tag will benefit the Miami Foundation to support habitat restoration, pollution prevention, and environmental education and awareness.

On November 6, community members and local officials, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, huddled around a blue Toyota Prius on the north end of the 444-acre Deering Estate on Miami's Cutler Bay, where a crowd of reporters and residents awaited the unveiling of the winning design for the Protect Biscayne Bay plate.

The brown paper that shrouded the car's trunk was ripped away to showcase the silhouette of a Stiltsville house and mangrove against a glowing orange sunset.