visit our lights specialty license plate now features image of Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse - michael towner

​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.”
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Story courtesy of Palm Beach Post: 

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