Jim Rosica
An effort to establish a Florida specialty license plate for Auburn University has passed the 4,000 mark.
According to the iwantmyfloridaauburnplate.com website, 4,018 people had turned in unofficial pledges as of Tuesday night.
New plates need 4,000 “pre-sales” before they can be produced. Supporters hope those filing pledges at the website will follow up with the state.
The plate has bipartisan backing: Democratic PR man Kevin Cate (Class of 2005) and state Rep. Jamie Grant (Class of 2006), a Tampa Republican.
Grant intends to file a bill next year to create an Auburn plate. If passed, that would add to the 123 specialty tags Florida now offers. It would be the first collegiate specialty tag for an out-of-state school.
“We take a moment to be proud of the Auburn Family here in Florida and recognize the impact that generations of Auburn alumni have made on our state,” Grant said in a statement.
“To have more than 4,000 Floridians, in two months, commit to buying an Auburn license tag sends a strong message that plenty of taxpaying residents consider this much more than ‘just another vanity tag,’ ” he added.
Specialty plates cost $15 to $25 a year above the standard registration fee. The money the tags generate goes to charities.
“Now it’s up to the Auburn caucus to make sure they have the choice to buy the tag they want,” Grant said. “We’ll start exploring the most meaningful use of the revenue here in Florida and look forward to making this tag a reality.”
