TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Ahead of next year’s Legislative session, lawmakers with the Senate Committee on Transportation approved a bill that would bring a new specialty plate to the Sunshine State.
That bill — SB 246 — was first filed back in October by Sen. Joe Gruters (R-District 22) and Sen. Ana Rodriguez (R-District 40).
SB 246 aims to establish a license plate design based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), adding it to the list of other specialty plates offered in Florida.
According to the legislation, the plate would have the word “Florida” printed at the top, and the words “UFC Lives Here” appearing along the bottom.
[BELOW: Here’s what to know about Florida’s newest ‘license plate’ law]
In addition, the annual use fees from plate sales would go to the nonprofit UFC Foundation, which may use the proceeds to support charities like children’s hospitals, youth advocacy and support for first responders.
“Florida represents the second-largest UFC fanbase in the country, and we will be honored to launch this program with your assistance,” UFC Foundation spokesman Brian Smith told lawmakers during Tuesday’s committee meeting.
The committee ultimately approved SB 246 by a vote of 5-1, meaning it has two more committee stops before it can go to the full Senate for a full vote.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on Oct. 1, 2026.
IF APPROVED, WHEN WILL THE NEW PLATE BE AVAILABLE?
In short: drivers can begin buying new plates starting on Oct. 1, though it might take a while before drivers will actually receive one.
According to state officials, a new plate’s respective organization is supposed to begin offering pre-sale vouchers when the law takes effect.
[BELOW: Can you change the color of your Florida license plate?]
Starting on that date, the organizations will have two years to sell 3,000 vouchers before the license plate will be manufactured.
If the pre-sale period ends without an organization hitting that target, their respective specialty plate will instead be deauthorized, meaning it won’t actually be produced.
In that case, anyone who bought a pre-sale voucher for the plate can apply for a refund.
WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?
If the bill gets signed into law, the UFC Foundation is responsible for submitting a proposed art design to the Division of Motorist Services (DMS) within 60 days of Oct. 1, when the new law would officially take effect.
The DMS will then be responsible for developing the specialty plate based on state requirements. While designs haven’t been released yet, they can be printed in one of two ways: center and left-hand.
The state specifications for specialty plate designs are as follows:
Layout specifications for a Florida specialty license plate (Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)
The characters on the plate will be roll-coated in black, blue, green, red, or white ink.
Contrast between the plate’s background colors and the characters must be defined enough for law enforcement officers to be able to clearly read the characters during both nighttime and daytime.
The word “FLORIDA” must be printed at the top of the plate in “Arial” font and size 75 point. Meanwhile, the bottom words must be in “Arial Bold.”
Example: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Specialty License Plate (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)
IS IT A CENTER DESIGN?
The center graphic must be no larger than 2.5 inches wide by 3 inches high.
The license plate number must have three characters to the left and three to the right of the centered graphic design.
Example: “Save the Manatee” Specialty License Plate (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)
IS IT A LEFT-SIDE DESIGN?
The graphic must instead be on the left side of the license plate and be no larger than 3.5 inches wide by 3 inches high.
The license plate is limited to five characters printed on the right side of the graphic.
Example: “Save Our Seas” Specialty License Plate (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)
In the meantime, you can check out all the new laws set to take effect on Jan. 1 by clicking here.
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