01/24/2018
Looks like we will be able to get a Florida tag that supports bees.....
Fellow Florida beekeepers.
Once again, we are before the Florida Legislature seeking to have a Honey Bee specialty license plate approved. If approved, $25 from the sale of each plate will go to honey bee research. This is research that will be determined by Florida beekeepers. The legislative process is moving along. House Bill 1359 and Senate Bills 160 and 796 contain language for the plate. All are currently moving through the appropriate committees.
Despite the major benefit apiculture provides to Florida agriculture, state funding for honey bee research is disappointingly low. The battle for declining research dollars is very competitive and as an industry we lack the resources to compete every year. A specialty plate will provide a recurring revenue stream for honey bee research in Florida.
I am pleased to report that support is strong and legislators are showing great interest in the Honey Bee plate. They are asking what will it look like. This is where those with artistic talent can contribute the most. We need conceptual designs and where better to get them than from beekeepers. I have attached a file that has the technical details for plate design. Here is the link to the DHSMV website and plates currently in use. http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/specialtytags/ Please submit your designs to [email protected] along with your contact information. A good design will help us sell tags.
For those of us less artistically endowed, you can help by financially supporting this effort. It will cost $21,000 to move this through the legislature. You can donate to the license plate fund at PayPal FSBA specialty plate fund. The legislative session ends March 9th but our work to get a Honey Bee specialty plate on Florida vehicles is just beginning.
Thanks for your support.
Tony Hogg
Florida State Beekeepers
Please click on your selection to view the plate and information such as the statutory authority, date enacted, and distribution of special fee.