New License Plate

Preorder Your FNPS Florida License Plate Now!

by Eugene Kelly, Policy and Legislation Chair and Sue Mullins, Lobbyist Reprinted from the November-December 2020 Issue of the Sabal Minor, the FNPS Newsletter   We are THRILLED to announce Governor Desantis has signed our bill creating a Florida Native license plate, and the final artwork for the plate has been approved by the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. So now we are officially in pursuit of the "pre-sales" required for the plate to go into actual production and then be available for distribution to the public. The bottom line for FNPS, quite literally, is that we will receive $25 for every plate sold, and annually thereafter for every plate that is renewed. Reaching this milestone is a big step forward for FNPS and could provide a meaningful source of continuing income in support of our mission. The legislation that allowed creation of the plate requires that it include at least five plant species native to Florida, conform to a "camouflage" theme, and include the words "Florida" at the top and "Native" at the bottom. The final mock-up, pictured below, meets those criteria and actually includes six native plant species-longleaf pine, slash pine, live oak, Spanish moss, the green­ fly orchid, and-of course!-a saw palmetto frond placed front-and-center. The plate lettering will appear to the left and right of the palmetto.

At least 3,000 plates must be sold in advance before any will be produced, and if we are unable to reach that threshold within 2 years the plate will be forever deauthorized. That means we are encouraging FNPS members to step up to the plate and express your support for our organization by committing $33. IN ADVANCE - the sooner the better, because plates will be produced only after 3,000 plates have been sold. If we fall short of the 3,000 minimum in pre-sales, anybody who "purchased" one can choose to either receive a refund of their purchase price, or ask that their money be applied to future motor vehicle registration charges.

You can best help us take advantage of this opportunity by signing up for a pre-sale yourself at https://www.fnps.org/support/license. You can also choose to do it in person at the offices of your county's Tax Collector. By prior agreement with the State of Florida, the St. Johns County license tag agency will be fulfilling all requests regardless of where you live.

In order for the Florida Native plate to be successful, we must look beyond our FNPS membership. Of course, we would like ALL our members to express their support and pride in FNPS by sporting a Florida Native plate on their cars and trucks-or boat trailers. But with fewer than 5,000 members, we recognize we must appeal to a larger audience to be successful in the long­ term. We also want to minimize "competition" with our fellow conservation organizations that might already depend on their own specialty plate as a funding source. So we want to grow the pie, rather than simply take our own slice out of a finite pie that is already being shared by other deserving conservation organizations. Thus, the Florida Native plate, which we hope wilI appeal to a broader slice of our fellow Floridians, including especially those who are proud to be Florida natives themselves.

You might already have a specialty plate that you find very attractive, and/or that supports a cause or organization you believe in and want to continue supporting. We don't want to pressure you to abandon your support of a good cause. But keep in mind that you can also choose to purchase a specialty plate for your boat trailer, your second vehicle or as a gift for relatives! And encourage your friends and neighbors, especially any who are proud Florida natives, to consider purchasing one. 

Published on  July 15th, 2021