Florida Senate - 2025                                    SB 1246
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-00701-25                                           20251246__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to specialty license plates; amending
    3         s. 320.08058, F.S.; directing the Department of
    4         Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to develop a Save
    5         Coastal Wildlife license plate; specifying design
    6         elements for the plate; providing for distribution and
    7         use of fees collected from the sale of the plates;
    8         authorizing the Auditor General to examine certain
    9         records; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsection (136) is added to section 320.08058,
   14  Florida Statutes, to read:
   15         320.08058 Specialty license plates.—
   16         (136) SAVE COASTAL WILDLIFE LICENSE PLATES.—
   17         (a) The department shall develop a Save Coastal Wildlife
   18  license plate as provided in this section and s. 320.08053. The
   19  plate must bear the colors and design approved by the
   20  department. The word “Florida” must appear at the top of the
   21  plate, and the words “Save Coastal Wildlife” must appear at the
   22  bottom of the plate. The plate must include the image of an
   23  American flamingo.
   24         (b) The annual use fees from the sale of the plate must be
   25  distributed to the Zoo Miami Foundation, a nonprofit
   26  organization under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code,
   27  for conservation of imperiled coastal wildlife and ecosystems in
   28  this state through field conservation and mission-focused
   29  research. Up to 15 percent of the annual use fees may be used
   30  for costs associated with the design and creation of the license
   31  plate, annual administrative costs directly associated with the
   32  administration of the Save Coastal Wildlife program, and
   33  marketing of the license plate. Of the remaining funds:
   34         1. Eighty-five percent must be used to maintain programs at
   35  the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Institute at Zoo Miami which
   36  conserve imperiled coastal wildlife and ecosystems.
   37         2. Fifteen percent must be distributed to eligible Florida
   38  based nonprofit organizations to conserve native-imperiled
   39  coastal wildlife and ecosystems.
   40         (c) The Auditor General may examine any records of the Zoo
   41  Miami Foundation and any other organization that receives funds
   42  from the sale of the plate to determine compliance with law.
   43         Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2025.