License Plates

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed bills that will honor the late singer Jimmy Buffett, designating Florida A1A as “Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway” and creating a “Margaritaville” specialty license plate.The highway bill (HB 91), which lawmakers passed unanimously during the legislative session that ended in March, will attach Buffett’s name to A1A from Key West to the Georgia border.

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

Florida’s standard license plates have long featured a pair of oranges and an orange blossom.But Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said this week that talks are underway to update the design. A proposal likely will come in 2025, unless a bill is rolled out for the 2024 legislative session, which will start Jan. 9.

A popular photo of a female Florida panther, with her kitten trailing behind, is set to be the third image featured on the state’s “Protect the Panther” specialty vehicle tag.The picture was taken in 2018 by famed National Geographic photographer Carlton Ward Jr. on the Babcock Ranch, which is about 15 miles north of Fort Myers and just north of the Caloosahatchee River when the panther duo tripped one of his remote cameras.

Florida is a step closer to getting a new license plate. Designers at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles came up with four options for…