Title: Specialty License Plates

Summary: Directs DHSMV to develop Supporting FHP Troopers license plate; provides for distribution & use of fees collected from sale of plate; exempts plate from minimum presale voucher requirements & minimum valid registration requirements.

Full Text:
An act relating to specialty license plates; amending s. 320.08058, F.S.; directing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to develop a Supporting FHP Troopers license plate; providing for distribution and use of fees collected from the sale of the plate; amending ss. 320.08053 and 320.08056, F.S.; exempting the plate from minimum presale voucher requirements and minimum valid registration requiremen ts, respectively; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsection (136) is added to section 320.08058, Florida Statutes, to read: 320.08058 Specialty license plates.-(136) SUPPORTI NG FHP TROOPERS LICENSE PLATES.-(a) The department shall develop a Supporting FHP Troopers license plate as provided in this section and s. 320.08053. The plate must bear the colors and design approved by the department. The word "Florida" must appear a tthe top of the plate, and the words "Supporting FHP Troopers" must appear at the bottom of the plate. (b) The annual use fees from the sale of the plate must be HB 2025 hb605 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Sdistributed to the Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council, Inc., a nonprofit organization under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which may use up to percent of the fees for administrative costs and marketing of the plate. The Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council, Inc., must use the remaining fees to fund scholarships, based on the council's established criteria, for current members of the Florida Highway Patrol and their family members who are attending a vocational school, technical school, college, or university. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "family member" means a spouse, child, stepchild, legally adopted child, or child raised in the home and claimed by the Florida Highway Patrol member as a dependent under the federal income tax code before the child's 18th birthday. Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 320.08053, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 320.08053 Establishment of specialty license plates.-(2) (b) Within months after the presale specialty license plate voucher is established, the approved specialty license plate organizat ion must record with the department a minimum of 3,000 voucher sales before manufacture of the license plate may commence. The department shall extend this presale period by an additional months for an approved specialty license plate organization that, as of June 15, 2022, is in the presale period HB 2025 hb605 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE Sbut has not recorded at least 3,000 voucher sales. If, at the conclusion of the presale period, the minimum sales requirement has not been met, the specialty plate is deauthorized, and the department shall dis continue development of the plate and discontinue issuance of the presale vouchers. Upon deauthorization of the license plate or if the plate has met the presale requirement but has not been issued, a purchaser of the license plate voucher may use the annu al use fee collected as a credit towards any other specialty license plate or apply for a refund on a form prescribed by the department. This paragraph does not apply to the Supporting FHP Troopers license plate established under s. 320.08058(136). Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (8) of section 320.08056, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 320.08056 Specialty license plates.-(8)(a) The department must discontinue the issuance of an approved specialty license plate if the number of valid specialty plate registrations falls below 3,000, or in the case of an out-of-state college or university license plate, 4,000, for at least consecutive months. The department shall mail a warning letter to the sponsoring organization following the first month in which the total number of valid specialty plate registrations is below 3,000, or in the case of an out-of-state college or university license plate, 4,000. This paragraph does not apply to: HB 2025 hb605 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE S1. In-state collegiate license plates established under s. 320.08058(3)., 2. License plates of institutions in and entities of the State University System., 3. Specialty license plates that have statutory eligibility limitations for purchase., 4. Specialty license plates for which annual use fees are distributed by a foundation for student and teacher leadership programs and teacher recruitment and retention., or 5. Florida Professional Sports Team license plates established under s. 320.08058(9). 6. The Supporting FHP Troopers license plate established under s. 320.08058(136). Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2025.