The Florida Highway Patrol has warned drivers about the growing number of citations around illegally wrapped license plates. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) issued a warning to drivers with Florida license plates that have been airbrushed, vinyl-wrapped, or customized. Such alterations violate the legal tag requirements under Florida law for reflectivity and safety enhancements and can potentially impact the yellow validation stickers. Driving on a public roadway with these altered plates displayed is against the law and violates Section 320.061, Florida Statutes, which prohibits the unlawful altering of a Florida License Plate.

Violations regarding legal tag requirements have grown 98% since 2020, according to FHP. The citation is classified as a moving violation and includes a $60.00 state fine, three points on your license and an accompanying fee set by the county where the citation was issued.

Florida law states that you cannot apply or attach a substance, reflective matter, illuminated device, spray, coating, covering or any other material onto or around the license plate that interferes with the legibility, angular visibility or detectability of any feature or detail on the license plate, or interferes with the ability to record any feature or detail on the plate.

Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida offers over 100 different specialty license plates for various organizations in support of the causes they represent. New specialty license plates are frequently introduced, and any money raised from the sales of those plates goes directly to the organization.

​Here is a list of Florida’s most popular specialty license plates

1. Endless summer: 137,547 plates issued
2. Helping sea Turtles Survive: 109,624 plates issued
3. University of Florida: 92,662 plates issued
4. Miami Heat: 80,909 plates issued
5. Florida State University: 70,393 plates issued
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneer: 60,596 plates issued
7. Save the Manatee: 53,334 plates issued
8. Protect Wild Dolphins: 52,575 plates issued
9. Vets of the U.S. Armed Forces: 49,829 plates issued
10. Marine Corps: 49,747 plates issued

Source: https://www.flhsmv.gov/2024/08/07/florida-highway-patrol-warns-public-of-strict-enforcement-of-illegally-wrapped-license-plates/

The 2024 Florida state legislature voted passed a bill that would provide even more license plate options for state residents. According to the House Staff Analysis, currently, there are 113 specialty license plates available for sale and an additional 30 in presale. Specialty license plates are available to the owner or lessee of any motor vehicle who is willing to pay an annual use fee, in addition to the required license tax and fees. The collected fees are distributed by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to statutorily-designated organizations in support of a particular
cause or charity. 

​The bill — HB 403 — passed through the Senate unanimously and the House by an overwhelming majority, with 6 legislators voting against it: Beltran, Fine, Gregory (as always), Killebrew, Overdorf and Sirois.and was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 27, 2024. From the effective date of October 1, 2024, the organization has 60 days to submit the proposed art design for the specialty license plate to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Within 120 days of the specialty license plate becoming law, DHSMV must establish a method to issue presale vouchers for the specialty license plate. The applicant for a specialty license plate pays a $5 processing fee, a $2.50 service charge, a $.50 branch fee, and the annual use fee. All other applicable fees are paid at the time of issuance of the specialty license plate.

After the presale vouchers are established, the organization has 24 months to obtain a minimum of
3,000 voucher sales before manufacturing of the plate can begin. If the minimum sales requirement
has not been met by the end of the 24-month presale period, the specialty license plate is deauthorized,

The number of specialty license plates issued cannot exceed 135. If the Legislature approves more
than 135 specialty license plates, DHSMV cannot issue any new specialty license plates until a sufficient number of plates are discontinued in order to not exceed the limit.

That bill directs the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to proceed with the design and required presale of the plates.

The full list of license plates and changes approved in the bill are as follows:

Collegiate (themed around state and independent universities in Florida)
Funds will go toward corresponding universities as determined by the purchaser.

“Live the Dream”
The CEO/Executive Director of the Dream Foundation, and former lobbyist, Michael Dobson has been arrested and charged with embezzlement of over $250,000.00 and the state legislature has voted to cancel any funding to those organizations previously listed, including Sickle Cell Disease Association and instead award up to 5% of the funds to the Atlanta-based King Center as royalty fees for the use of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s image. The remaining funds will be placed into an account within the Historical Resources Operating Trust Fund to support research for abandoned African-American cemeteries. According to the House Staff Analysis, On December 13, 2023, DHSMV issued a report which indicated that revenues associated with the 'Live The Dream' specialty license plate were being withheld as a result of unresolved audit findings. The report noted that the board of directors of the Dream Foundation, Inc., was non-operational, and, as of September 2023, the Dream Foundation, Inc., was listed as inactive with the Florida Division of Corporations. As of December 6, 2023, DHSMV was withholding $179,843, and there were 5,585 active 'Live The Dream' specialty license plates.
The House Staff Analysis stated that their would be a positive fiscal impact To the extent that if sales continue for the 'Live the Dream' License Plate, the Historical Resources Operating Trust Fund within the DOS will see an increase of revenues for the purpose of supporting the Historic Cemeteries Program. 
“American Eagle” 
The annual use fees from the sale of the plate must be distributed to the American Eagle Foundation for deposit in the foundation’s national endowment fund.

Divine Nine
The legislators changed the existing law to only Divine Nine members or their immediate family members are eligible for this license plate.

“Universal Orlando Resort”
Funds will be given to the Give Kids The World nonprofit, which seeks to provide “week-long, cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families.”

Once the specialty license plate goes into production, organizations authorized for a distribution from the proceeds of the sale of the respective license plate will benefit. Therefore, the following organizations may see an increase in revenues:
 Various in-state colleges and universities
 Eligible grant entities under the Historic Cemeteries Program
 The American Eagle Foundation
 Nine Member Organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (Divine Nine)
 United Negro College Fund, Inc.
 Association to Preserve African American Society, History, and Tradition, Inc.
 Give Kids The World, Inc.
 SFC Charitable Foundation, Inc.
 Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Inc.
 Aerospace Center for Excellence
 The Villages Charter School, Inc.
 The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, Inc.
 JDRF International Incorporated
 The UF Foundation, Inc.
 Recycle Florida Today Foundation, Inc.
 Captain Sandy Yawn, Inc.
 Project Addiction: Reversing the Stigma, Inc.
 United Service Organizations, Inc

​Michael Dobson, the CEO of the Tallahassee-based Dream Foundation, Inc., which receives funding from the State of Florida through the Martin Luther King Jr. 'Live the Dream' specialty license plate, has been charged with stealing from the nonprofit organization. Michael Dobson, a longtime local political consultant and nonprofit manager, has allegedly stolen $153,146.00 between July 1, 2020, and April 1, 2023. The money came from Florida residents, who pay a $25 annual fee for the specialty license plate.

​Michael J. Dobson, 65, was arrested on a charge of resisting an officer without violence and was then rearrested on the grand theft charges. 

After weeks in jail, he was released from Leon County Detention Facility, the Sheriff's Office website shows, after Circuit Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper this week OK'd him to be on pre-trial release. According to state records, Dobson served multiple short stints in jail starting in 1990, and later served multiple years-long sentencings in prison starting in 2013. Most of the charges are clustered in the early 1990s and early 2010s. However, he continued to work with the Florida Legislature.

The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department's inspector general's office completed an audit in March 2023 of the Dream Foundation's "Live the Dream" license plate, featuring a likeness of Dr. King, and found that "money received by the foundation was illegally misappropriated" by Dobson. The audit is not complete for the subsequent year as he did not have to file the report.

​In the last legislative session, the 'Live the Dream' specialty license plate distribution of funds was amended and redirected (CS/CS/HB 403)to the Historical Resources Operating Trust Fund to support the Historic Cemeteries Program. The funds are to be utilized to research, identify, and record abandoned African-American cemeteries and provide grants to eligible entities. 5% will still be paid to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., also known as The King Center, as a royalty for the use of the image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on the license plate.

Over the past 5 years, Dobson had crafted various bills which were subsequently approved by the state legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis, which redirected funds that could be used for his organization's own non-profit purposes. Separate bills saw the use of funds distribution amended from March of Dimes, Healthy Start Coalition and Sickle Cell to going directly to the nonprofit controlled by Dobson with 8% for "assisting inmates released from custody of a county jail in this state or a Department of Corrections facility in successfully reentering the community," and "at least 15%" for "as grants for programs and services throughout this state which assist inmates released from the custody of a county jail in this state or a Department of Corrections facility in successfully reentering the community."  With a further 20% for scholarships of graduating high school seniors in this state who have at least one parent or legal guardian who is incarcerated." A portion of these amendments were filed by Representative Dr James Bush, III, a retired teacher who served in the House from 1992-2000, 2008 and then 2018 and Senator Keith Perry, CEO of Perry Roofing Contractors, who served in the House from 2010-2016 and in the Senate from 2016.

In 2008, Dobson was reprimanded by the House of Representatives for "fraudulent representation before a House Committee." Michael Dobson agreed to pay back $20,000 to a client who hired him to win legislative passage of a new license plate.
​
Dobson was registered to lobby the Florida Legislature for 10 clients, including the Capitol City Chamber of Commerce and several bio-fuel and renewable energy groups, some of which he was the CEO and founder, including the Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association.
Panama City Rep. Jimmy Patronis filed a complaint with the House that Dobson was lobbying for a client without registering the name with the Legislature. House General Counsel Jeremiah Hawkes determined the Panama City Marine Institute signed a $40,000 contract with Dobson's firm in July 2007 to win passage of the tag.

Dobson later testified for bills creating the "Horse Country" and an "I Believe" license plate in March without registering to lobby for PCMI, according to Hawkes' investigative report.
Hawkes' findings also suggested Dobson violated a House rule by fabricating information in a survey of the number of motorists likely to buy the tag that was submitted to the House Infrastructure Committee. Florida law requires backers of specialty tags to submit a "scientific sample survey" showing that at least 30,000 motorists are likely to buy the tag, which would devote a portion of the  revenues generated to special causes.

The committee's chairman, Tampa Bay Rep. Rich Glorioso, told Hawkes he had repeatedly told Dobson that the surveys for both tags "were defective." "These violations are not de minimus," Hawkes wrote to House Speaker Marco Rubio. "Mr. Dobson has been a registered lobbyist for years and is aware of the requirements to lobby. Dobson was given an opportunity to respond to this investigation, and failed to do so." The agreement called for a one-year ban from lobbying if he failed to repay the Institute the $20,000 by the following spring. He must also go back and file compensation reports reflecting the contract. According to the Lobbyist disclosure Reports, he did not.

​Dobson was previously arrested in 2013 for financial fraud from 2010-2012 for credit card fraud, depositing a check with intent to defraud, grand theft and defrauding a financial business and was sentenced to 5 years.
He was released in September 2016.
​His known aliases at that time were Michael J Dobson, Michael Jaray Dobson, Michael Jarray Dobson and Michael Jaray Dobson-Foster.

​In 2020, the Florida Elections Commission filed a Notice of Probable Cause and set a hearing date for matters involving the Florida Voters Campaign PAC, who operated from the 4005 Brandon Hill Drive address. The Dream Foundation, Inc. was administratively dissolved on 9/22/23 by the state for failing to file the 2023 annual report. At the time, Dobson, Craig and associates was listed as the resident agent and the officers were Kimberlyn Elliott, Doyle Smith, Reverend Martin Tooley, Mylah Kate Robinson, Sharon Fagans and Michael J Dobson was listed as President and CEO. Michael Dobson had previously reinstated the corporation and taken over on August 29, 2017 and registered both the Dream Foundation and Dobson, Craig & Associates principal business address at 4005 Brandon Hill Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32309, a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2,321 sq ft single family home built in 1976, which, according to Leon County Property Appraiser is owned by Michael Jaray Dobson after it was quitclaimed to him from his wife Cynthia L. Craig on April 18, 2020. 

​According to the Tallahassee Democrat, John Lynch, Dobson's assigned public defender, said his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty and declined further comment: "I'm really not at liberty to discuss any sort of defense strategy at this point," Lynch said.

The Tallahassee Democrat was made aware of the case by a political candidate that Dobson has been advising. That person, who asked to be unnamed, said Dobson told her he thinks that he is being pursued criminally now because of his affiliation with the Democratic Party and for the diversity, equity and inclusion conferences he organizes. He also told her he missed his court date because of mail service issues and he didn't get the summons on time. He did not comment on the allegedly stolen funds.

Law enforcement got a warrant for Dobson's arrest in September, but took until December to locate him and take him into custody. According to a probable cause affidavit, Dobson was spotted by police walking between the Golden Corral and Masa restaurants on North Monroe Street.

"I exited my patrol car in full uniform and called out 'Mr. Dobson!' as he was ahead of me," the report says. "I then called out 'Mr. Dobson, I need you to stop!' and as I was telling him to stop several times, he began to pick up his pace."
Dobson allegedly darted into traffic where he ran across the busy roadway to the Cottages at Lake Ella. Officers finally caught him inside the kitchen of the American Legion hall, the report said.

Over the last 34 years, Michael Dobson has been charged with various misdemeanors, such as passing worthless bank checks, as well as felony charges of fraudulent use of credit cards, bank fraud and grand theft, court dockets show.

He had a case management hearing on Feb. 6, court dockets show.
​

​Additional Source: Tallahassee Democrat, Elena Barrera [email protected]. Follow her on X @elenabarreraaa.

​The Lee County Tax Collector is expanding its online service by offering Florida’s specialty license plates on its site.

With causes ranging from education to environment, sports to health, Florida offers more than 100 different specialty plates on behalf of various organizations. The money raised from their sale goes directly to the organization. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, since inception, 800 million dollars has been raised.

​With the launch of online sales at www.LeeTC.com, buying these specialty plates has never been easier. The platform allows customers to view the designs and select their preferred option, paying by credit card, debit card or e-check. Once the order is placed, the plate is mailed directly to them. Customers can even purchase them as gifts for others.

“We know time is precious,” says Tax Collector Noelle Branning. “This new platform provides convenience for our customers, allowing us to deliver 5-star service quickly and efficiently, which is our mission.”

THE NEW PROTECT MARINE WILDLIFE SPECIALTY PLATE CAN BE ORDERED BY CLICKING HERE.

​During the finish-line push of the 2024 Utah legislative session, state lawmakers passed a bill that would no longer require drivers to have a front license plate on their vehicles.

Senate Bill 45 passed its final vote in the Senate 27-0 on Wednesday, when the upper chamber concurred with a slight change to the legislation made in the House. The bill is now on its way to Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk.

​Sen. Daniel McCay (R-Riverton) ran the bill, and he told ABC4 earlier this month that front license plate compliance in Utah is already relatively low.

“So we thought of getting rid of that requirement and using that to create some cost savings,” he said.

The change made in the House specifies that commercial vehicles would still need to have front and back license plates, in compliance with federal standards.
SB45, which is over 1,300 lines long, also centralizes and streamlines the license plate distribution process. McCay expects the state to save roughly $3 million a year through these changes.
Taxpayers will also see savings, as they will pay less in fees, McCay said. He noted that the state will save $3.50 for each license plate that isn’t printed, and a dollar from each plate saved with go toward the Utah Highway Patrol to boost trooper ranks.
The legislation is slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. As it stands, Utah is on track to become the 22nd state not to require a front license plate. Others include New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Florida.

​The Florida Legislature is studying proposals to memorialize the late singer Jimmy Buffett by naming a state highway and a specialty license plate for him. They’ve also held “Jimmy Buffett Day” at their Capitol in Tallahassee.

With apologies to former coach and football analyst Lee Corso, I say not so fast, my friend. It’s the Mississippi Legislature that should be honoring this Mississippi-born superstar of the cultural arts.

Perhaps Mississippi could honor him with memorial highway signage on U.S. 90 along the Gulf Coast, plus an informational marker set by the Department of Archives and History. Buffett died suddenly on Sept. 1. 

​He was born in Pascagoula on Christmas of 1946 and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1969 with a degree in history. He attended Auburn but soon left for Pearl River Community College and then USM. 

Buffett was a member of myriad garage and rock bands in high school and college. He earned daytime money as an apprentice electrician and welder. His “Coral Reefer Band” was founded in 1975.

​In 1969, he embarked on one of the most phenomenal music and business careers of its type in American history. At first he played for cash on New Orleans street corners, then moved to Nashville to play and write music and to work as a reporter for Billboard magazine.

At his death Buffett was worth a reported $1 billion built from the sales of more than 30 million records and revenues generated from the “Margaritaville” brand of restaurants, hotels, casinos and beach-flavored merchandise.

​Buffett’s father was a marine engineer, while his grandfather was a steamship captain. Their lives doubtlessly were the genesis for his song, “Son of a Son of a Sailor.”

Surely, both men’s experiences had a profound influence on Buffett's “island escapism” existence that was pursued by devoted “Parrotheads” living along the coastal waters of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

​“Margaritaville is just what Florida is all about. Jimmy Buffett is the icon of Florida,” the Associated Press quoted Florida State Sen. Gayle Harrell. “No one represents the open sun, beaches and music more than Jimmy Buffett and Margaritaville.” 

​That’s a nice assessment of the visionary entertainer and his Florida connections. However, Buffett never forgot his roots and was always quick to claim Mississippi as his home state. He’s ours. Reportedly, a young Buffett decided at a Biloxi folk-songs concert in 1961 that he wanted to sing for a living.

The AP reported that under the plans being considered at the Florida capitol, State Road A1A, the scenic highway that winds about 340 miles along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, would become Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway.

Sponsors of the Florida legislation added an amendment to create a specialty license plate with the word “Margaritaville” — a trademark Buffett song he recorded in 1977 that jump-started his prodigious career as a songwriter and singer.

But, he’s not Florida’s. He was full bore Mississippi, and we mustn’t allow another state to upstage us in reminding the world about him and his unique talent.

The Mississippi Legislature could propose, pass and place a bill memorializing Buffett on Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk quicker than he can rail, “Tax cut!”

​Mac Gordon, a retired newspaperman, is a native of McComb. He can be reached at [email protected].

​The State of Florida has revealed its list of hundreds of personalized license plates considered to be too obscene for the road in 2023, which are rejected by the 3 person panel that reviews them.

The latest list included Florida vanity plates with submissions that included "03MF", "1FART", “BANGER”, “4FKSAKE”, “HARD”, "ICUTU", "MILFX", "MZNASTY”, "TRNS KLR",  "SWASTIK", "SHOOTR", “P00PIE1″ and "ZERO FKS"
Not sure if the FLHSMV is obligated or not to notify law enforcement of the most abusive instances. 
​Specialty plates are available to Floridians and can also be personalized for a fee. Drivers have several options for environmental, collegiate, sports, special interest and military license plates. The state charges a $15 annual fee for personalizing your plate.

The concept is very new, but we will likely be seeing a lot more of them soon. In the US, Ford has just become the first manufacturer to offer them on new cars.

The digital license plates are legal in all 50 states, as well as Canada and Mexico, but can only be sold in Arizona, California and Michigan. In those three states, digital plates are now available as an optional extra when you buy a car from Ford dealerships.

The E ink technology used for digital plates gives them a monochrome look, with users able to pick between light and dark modes. Users can also add a personal message to the bottom of their plate, under the registration itself.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that these digital license plates have 5G data and GPS connections.

Basically, they can be connected to a smartphone app, which then alerts the owner if the vehicle is stolen, showing its real-time location. ​The plates are also designed to survive extreme temperatures and tampering by potential thieves.

​Florida has more than 120 specialty license plates that let drivers show their support for veterans, native species and their favorite sports teams.But now the News Service of Florida is reporting the state's iconic "orange blossom" standard plate design could be on the chopping block.

Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, revealed during a Senate Transportation Committee hearing Wednesday, the change is likely to come in 2025, but discussions about a new design are already underway.And Hooper admits there's a chance someone will propose a new design once lawmakers return to Tallahassee on January 9th.

“Some of us think it might be time to look at redesigning the official non-specialty license plate for the state of Florida, as probably 49 other states have done in the last 50 years,” Hooper said.

Florida’s familiar design with the two oranges has been around since 2003, when it replaced the single orange some people apparently thought looked too much like a peach. The Department of Agriculture added “MyFlorida.com” across the top and the bottom of the plate varies from county to county, where it sometimes reads “Sunshine State,” “In God We Trust” or the county name.

Florida’s specialty license plate program is on the road to growth, as a new law signed Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis codifies key changes.

Sen. Aaron Bean’s measure (SB 364) will begin the development process for license plates representing Inter Miami CF, Safe Haven for Newborns, Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research, Learn to Fly, Florida Swims, Down Syndrome Awareness, Take Stock in Children, and Gopher Tortoise.

The Bean bill was tweaked in the back-and-forth of the legislative process, with the Senate acceding to conditions from the House to close the deal.

The original Bean bill sought 150 specialty plates, but legislation passed by the House allows for 135 plates. Currently, 128 plates are available, and now another 40 tags are in the pre-sale status.

Under the new law, 3,000 pre-sales will be required for all plates, including out-of-state colleges, which had been set at 4,000, which will help Auburn University who now have 666 presale vouchers to be sold, instead of 1,666.

One plate was sacrificed: the Senate wanted an Ethical Ecotourism tag in the bill also. That was removed by the House, which did not consider that legislation in committees.

The bill also resets the 24-month clock on how long organizations have to reach the sales threshold number of 3,000.

Of the 60 recently authorized plates, 36 haven’t met the sales threshold required in order to be printed.

The bill won’t materially impact the bottom line of subsidiary governments, argued a staff analysis of the legislation from February: “According to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the bill may have a negative, but insignificant, fiscal impact associated with programming costs. These costs can be absorbed within existing resources.”

As of June, 1, 2020, there were 1,928,972 specialty license plates on the roads in Florida, a record amount. Endless Summer leads the field with 117,765 followed by Helping Sea Turtles survive with 100,900. The new Disney/Make-A-Wish plate has already sold 25,846 since going on sale earlier this year.

Significant changes to the Live the Dream specialty plate were also approved in the new bill signed by the Governor, reducing the distribution to sickle cell disease organizations from 60% to 25%. Chapman Partnership's distribution was reduced from 30% to 22% and 43% is now available to the Dream Foundation for programs, with an additional 5% for administration, promotion and marketing.