Specialty License Plates/Save Coastal Wildlife:
SB 1246 directs the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to create a new specialty license plate called the “Save Coastal Wildlife” plate. The plate must feature the word “Florida” at the top, the phrase “Save Coastal Wildlife” at the bottom, and an American flamingo image, with the design approved by the department. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.
The measure also establishes how annual use fees from the plate will be distributed. Revenue is assigned to the Zoo Miami Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, for conservation of imperiled coastal wildlife and ecosystems through field conservation and mission-focused research. Up to 10 percent of the fees may be used for design, creation, administrative costs, and marketing. Of the remaining funds, 85 percent must support programs at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Institute at Zoo Miami, and 15 percent must go to eligible Florida-based nonprofits working to conserve native imperiled coastal wildlife and ecosystems.
The bill amends section 320.08058, Florida Statutes, by adding a new specialty license plate program and creating a dedicated funding stream for coastal wildlife conservation. It would require the state to administer the plate, approve its design, collect annual use fees, and distribute those proceeds according to the statutory formula. The bill would primarily affect the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Zoo Miami Foundation, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Institute at Zoo Miami, and qualifying Florida conservation nonprofits.
The available context suggests the bill was generally favorable in concept, as it advanced through committee as a committee substitute and was framed around wildlife conservation and a new specialty plate. However, it ultimately died in Fiscal Policy, indicating that while the policy idea may have had support, it did not secure enough backing or priority to complete the legislative process. No vote record or committee transcript is available to show direct debate or opposition.
The main likely points of contention are fiscal and administrative rather than ideological. Because specialty plates require state development, marketing, and ongoing administration, lawmakers may have questioned whether projected sales would justify the costs and whether the revenue split appropriately balances administrative expenses with conservation funding. Another possible issue is whether directing funds to a specific nonprofit and institute, rather than a broader state program, is the best use of specialty plate proceeds. The bill’s failure in Fiscal Policy suggests concerns about financial impact or legislative bandwidth may have been decisive.