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Manatee, Panther, Challenger Plates Lead in 1998 Sales

31 March 1999

Manatee, Panther, Challenger Plates Lead in 1998 Sales, Says Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

     TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 31 -- For the fourth year in a row,
the most popular specialty tag in the state is the Manatee license plate,
selling 140,891 plates and raising $2.1 million.  Collectively, 40 specialty
tags in 1998 raised more than $17.5 million.
    The biggest dollar producer once again was the panther plate, which raised
$3.4 million at $25 each.
    The 10 most popular specialty license plates in Florida based on numbers
sold were:

    Rank 1996                           1997                1998
    1     Manatee                       Manatee             Manatee
    2     Panther                       Panther             Panther
    3     Challenger                    Challenger          Challenger
    4     University of Florida (UF)    UF                  UF
    5     Florida State Univ (FSU)      FSU                 FSU
    6     U.S. Olympic                  Education           Education
    7     Education                     Florida Arts        Florida Arts
    8     Florida Arts                  U.S. Olympic        Invest in Children
    9     Florida Salutes Veterans      Invest in Children  Indian River
                                                             Lagoon
    10    University of Miami           Florida Salutes     U.S. Olympic
                                         Veterans

    Approximately 842,000 vehicles have specialty tags assigned to them, only
eight percent of the total vehicles eligible to purchase special tags.
    The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is responsible
for the production of these license plates and works with the organizations
benefiting from the funds to design the license plate.  DHSMV distributes
license plates to all county tax collectors where citizens can make their
choice.
    The specialty tags may be viewed on the Department's home page at:
http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/specialtytags/specialindex.html.
    Six specialty tags were approved by the 1998 Legislature and will be
available during 1999.  They are: Everglades River of Grass, Protect Wild
Dolphins, Barry University, Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches, Conserve Wildlife
and Keep Kids Drug Free.
    The fees for specialty license plates are set by the legislature and range
from $15 to $25.  This fee goes to the organization(s) designated by the
legislature to benefit from the sale of the license plate.
    This special fee is assessed in addition to the annual taxes and fees,
which are assessed by vehicle weight:
    Automobiles up to 2,499 pounds      $26.60*
    Automobiles from 2,500-3,499 lbs.   $34.60*
    Automobiles 3,500 lbs. and up       $44.60*
    Currently, Florida has 45 license plates which raise funds for various
purposes (not all were available for sale during 1998).  Additional license
plates frequently are proposed to the Florida Legislature.  To propose a new
license plate, organizations must submit to DHSMV:
    --  15,000 names of individuals (collected through a survey) who would
like to purchase the specialty license plate,
    --  $60,000 application fee to defray the department's expenses for
reviewing the application and developing the license plate and
    --  A short- and long-term marketing strategy and financial analysis.
    Following departmental review, the legislature must then approve any new
specialty license plates.

    *  When the metal plate is issued initially, an additional $10 fee is
required.