License plate redesign eyed — Florida without .com likely

The word “Florida” without a website address might be coming back to the state’s standard license plate.

A proposal slated to go to the House Transportation & Modals Subcommittee on Friday would direct the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to begin the redesign of the standard license plate.

The bill (PCB TMS 24-01) would direct that “MyFLorida.com” be replaced on the plate with the word “Florida.” In November, Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said talks were underway to update the design.

“Some of us think it might be time to look at redesigning the official non-specialty license plate for the state of Florida, as probably 49 other states have done in the last 50 years,” Hooper said.

A 2003 change in the standard design included two oranges and an orange blossom. It also splashed the web address “MyFlorida.com” across the top, where before it had simply said “Florida.”

The standard plate also includes along the bottom the words “Sunshine State,” “In God We Trust” or, in some counties, the county name.

Under the House proposal, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles would have until Oct. 1 to start the redesign process.

The redesign wouldn’t apply to the more than 170 specialty plates offering designs for such things as colleges, sports teams, the environment and the military.