Motorcycle Specialty License Plates:
HB 267 would require the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to create an Endless Summer specialty license plate for both motor vehicles and motorcycles. The plate must use department-approved colors and design, include the word “Florida” at the top and “Endless Summer” at the bottom, and place any approved image on the far left side of the motorcycle version.
The bill also directs how annual use fees from the plate would be distributed. Revenues would go to Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Corporation, which could first recover startup costs and then use up to 10 percent for promotion, marketing, and administrative expenses tied to the plate and its programs. The remaining funds would support surfing preservation and related projects, including the proposed Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Experience, lifeguards or artificial reefs, museums or exhibits about surfing history, and programs promoting beach safety, coastal pollution awareness, and beach ecology. The bill would take effect October 1, 2025.
HB 267 would amend section 320.08058, Florida Statutes, to add a new specialty plate category and establish a dedicated revenue stream for a private nonprofit organization. It also changes the discontinuation calculation for the Endless Summer plate by requiring motor vehicle and motorcycle plate counts to be combined when determining whether the plate meets the statutory threshold to remain available. The bill would affect the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, specialty plate applicants, and Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Corporation as the designated recipient of annual use fees.
The bill appears to have been generally favorable in concept, as it advanced as a specialty license plate measure tied to surfing culture, coastal preservation, and beach-related education. However, the available record shows no committee transcript or vote details, and the bill ultimately died in the State Affairs Committee, indicating it did not secure final committee approval despite its promotional and charitable framing.
The main potential points of contention are the creation of a new specialty plate and the use of state-authorized plate fees to benefit a specific private corporation. Questions could also arise over whether the plate’s proceeds are sufficiently tied to public purposes, how much revenue would be used for marketing and administration, and whether combining motor vehicle and motorcycle plate counts for discontinuation purposes gives the plate a different treatment than other specialty plates. No recorded debate is available, so the specific objections or supporters are not documented in the provided materials.