Ready to make your car as real as it gets?
Senate bill 246, proposed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, and Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral, would create an Ultimate Fighting Championship specialty license plate for Florida drivers.
The bill passed the Transportation Committee 5 to 1 on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and heads on to the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development. A similar bill in the House, HB 231, from Rep. Chase Tramont, R-Port Orange, is also working through committees.
The plate would include the words “FLORIDA” at the top and “UFC LIVES HERE” at the bottom. A portion of the proceeds would go to the UFC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“We’re excited about the opportunity for Floridians to support such a great organization,” Tramont, a Port Orange Republican, said in a news release. “The UFC Foundation is truly committed to values that unite and inspire us all. With this specialty plate, Florida drivers will have the opportunity to carry their mission forward.”
More Florida specialty license plates coming?
Other proposed specialty plates so far include the Florida Wildflower (SB 388), Miami Northwestern Alumni Association (HB 329), Miami Carol City Senior High School Alumni (HB 469/SB 592) and an Endless Summer license plate for motorcycles (HB 571). The Endless Summer plate for vehicles has been the top seller for years.
Another bill, SB 470, would remove a restriction on who can buy a Fraternal Order of Police license plate and also redirect funds from the plate away from the order and toward the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police Memorial Foundation, Inc.
If passed, the plates won’t go on sale just yet.
New specialty license plates go on preorder and must hit a certain number before the plates will be made. Margaritaville plates approved in 2024 to honor the late singer Jimmy Buffett hit that threshold in October last year.
Plates for The Villages, passed the same year, have yet to sell half the plates needed for sale, according to data from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
What are specialty license plates?
Specialty license plates are plates for your registered vehicle that feature different artwork than the standard Florida white, orange and green plates to let you add a colorful personal touch for your ride. They cost extra, but proceeds from the sales go to benefit the colleges, environmental causes, sports teams, military services and special interests behind them.
The Sunshine State currently offers over 100 different specialty license plates as of Dec. 3, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and there are 183 different specialty plates on more than 2.3 million vehicles out there.
How much will the UFC license plate cost?
Specialty license plates cost an annual $25 on top of your vehicle registration fees.
All of the plates can be ordered online or at local DMV offices except for specialty military plates such as Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, etc, which require a form to certify eligibility.
When will the UFC plate be available?
First the bill has to pass.
Then the FLHSMV has to get at least 3,000 orders before they start making any, so availability will depend on how big the demand is. As of Dec. 3, there are 14 specialty plates already approved in the last couple of years that still haven’t hit the threshold yet.
“Organizations will have two years to reach the 3,000-voucher requirement,” said FLHSMV spokesperson Molly Best in an email. If plates do not meet the presales threshold by that time, they are dropped from the list.
What are the most popular specialty license plates in Florida?
As of Dec. 1, FLHSMV data says:
Don’t obscure your plates or risk fines
Thanks to a law that passed this year, tinted covers, overhanging plate frames and devices to obscure your plate are even more illegal in Florida than they were before.
“Keep them plain, just like the DMV gave you,” Sarasota Police Chief said in an Instagram post.
Obscuring your license plate in Florida is now a criminal violation that can bring up toa $500 fine and/or up to60 days in jail, with a mandatory court appearance.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Is Florida getting a UFC plate? Top Florida specialty license plates
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
