​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.

An extremely rare license plate with the letters “MM” on it is currently up for sale in the state of California for $24.3 million. And because it’s still 2021, you aren’t just buying the plate, you’re also buying its matching one-of-a-kind NFT.
There are over 35,000,000 registered vehicles in the state of California, each of which has its own unique license plate with anywhere from two to seven characters. Of these, two-character plates are the rarest, especially two-character repeating plates like “MM,” according to the “MM” plate website (h/t DuPont Registry). There are only 35 two-letter plates, making this license plate literally one in a million.

“Just like NFTs, license plates are exclusive by nature, always 1 of 1,” the OpenSea listing says. “The pairing of these two rarities was inevitable. This minting has established provenance, and hopes to inspire an entire community around an aftermarket buying/selling desirable license plate configurations.”
It remains to be seen if someone will bite and spend the cash on “MM,” but if they do, they will be able to claim ownership of the world’s most expensive license plate. Currently, that honor belongs to an Abu Dhabi license plate with the number “1” which sold for $14.3 million in 2009. The most expensive one in the US is a Delaware plate with the number “11” that sold for $675,000 the year before.

The 'America the Beautiful' and 'Explore Off-Road' specialty license plates have met the voucher requirement. Purchasing presale vouchers are no longer required for this license plate to meet the requirements. However, if a customer wants to purchase a voucher, they may do so.
America the Beautiful and Explore Off-Road can now be purchased at your local Tax Collector's office. 

'Explore Off-Road' specialty license plate revenue goes to the Florida Off Road Foundation, Inc. The purpose of the Florida Off Road Foundation, Inc., is to provide and distribute funds to the foundation from the sale of the Florida Off Road license plates to help preserve and protect Florida’s off road natural habitat, environment, and other programs.
Up to 10% of the funds may be used for marketing of the plate, administrative costs directly associated with the creation of the plate, and administrative costs related to the distribution of proceeds, including annual audit services and compliance affidavit costs.
The remainder of the funds must be used by the Florida Off Road Foundation, Inc., to fund qualified non-profit organizations that protect and preserve Florida’s natural off-road habitat, educate Floridians about responsible use of the off-road environment; support civilian volunteer programs to promote the use of off-road vehicles to assist law enforcement in situations such as search and rescue; support organized cleanups, trail maintenance, and restoration; or preserve Florida’s off-road culture.

The America the Beautiful Fund is the fictitious name of Live Laugh Love Give, Inc., based in Tampa, Florida. Up to 10% may be used to offset administrative, marketing, and promotion costs. The remaining 90% is to be used for projects and programs teaching character, leadership, and service to Florida youth; the provision of support services and assistance to the military community; outdoor education advancing self-sufficiency; wildlife conservation; the maintenance of historic or culturally important sites, buildings, structures, or objects; and the development and modification of playgrounds, recreational areas, or other outdoor amenities, including disability access. 

The 'Divine 9' specialty license plates have met the voucher requirement. Purchasing pre-sale vouchers are no longer required for this license plate to meet the requirements. However, if a customer wants to purchase a voucher, they may do so. All nine are now on sale 
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.

To be eligible for issuance of a Divine Nine license plate representing an organization, a person must be a resident of this state who is the registered owner of a motor vehicle and who is a member of the applicable organization.
​1.The person must also present proof of membership in the organization, which may be established by:
a. A card distributed by the organization indicating the person’s membership in the organization; or
b. A written letter on the organization’s letterhead which is signed by the organization’s national president or his or her designated official and which states that the person was inducted into the organization.
2. Proof of membership in an organization is required only for initial issuance of a Divine Nine license plate. A person need not present such proof for renewal of the license plate.

​The annual use fees from the sale of the plate are to be distributed as follows:
10% solely for marketing of the plate from each of the nine fraternity/sorority plates goes to the Association to Preserve African-American Society, History, and Tradition (PAST), Inc..
5% of the proceeds are distributed to the United Negro College Fund, Inc., for college scholarships for Florida residents attending Florida's historically black colleges and universities.
The remaining 85% of the proceeds are distributed to the appropriate charitable foundations based on the purchaser’s selected license plate to promote community awareness and action through educational, economic, and cultural service activities within this state.

​The United Negro College Fund’s mission is “to build a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented students who, because of UNCF support, become highly-qualified college graduates and to ensure that our network of member institutions is a respected model of best practice in moving students to and through college.”

​Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (founded in 1908 at Howard University)
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (founded in 1906 at Cornell University)
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (founded in 1913 at Howard University)
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity (founded in 1963 at Morgan State College)
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity (founded as Kappa Alpha Nu in Indiana in 1911 and changed the name in 1915)
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity (founded in 1911 at Howard University)
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity (founded in 1914 at Howard University)
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority (founded in 1922 at Butler University)
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority (founded in 1920 at Howard University)

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles recently launched an online option for ordering special or personalized plates.
Wisconsin DMV offers 52 special plate options, plus the opportunity to personalize. The DMV Special and Personalized License Plate Application portal tracks all the options, estimates the fees and places the order online so new customized plates are ready faster.
Last year, more than 33,000 special license plates, which provide recognition for the sponsoring group, were ordered. 

A specialty license plate featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and Arizona resident Alice Cooper could hit the state's roadways later this year.
A bill passed by Arizona Legislature and signed by Gov. Doug Ducey earlier this month not only creates a new specialty plate design, but also establishes the Youth Music and Art Special Plate Fund.
The fund is dedicated to helping Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Centers, a faith-based nonprofit based in Phoenix and Mesa that mentors people ages 12 to 20 and helps them discover their talents at no cost.
After researching specialty plates, the nonprofit determined having one would help to gain exposure and some extra income. 

Virginia has the highest volume of vanity — or specialty — license plates per capita of any state in the country with 19% of drivers owning one in 2021, according to a story in Virginia Living, citing stats from the American Association of Vehicle Administrators and the state’s department of motor vehicles. The state offers a wide variety of plates that let drivers associate themselves with good causes and nonprofits.

New Hampshire state’s license plates that include the state motto “Live Free or Die” are made by prison inmates working for New Hampshire Correctional Industries.