Florida GA plate falls short, but support shines through
Despite a tremendous grassroots effort by pilots and aviation supporters across Florida, the Support General Aviation specialty license plate did not reach the 3,000 presale vouchers required by the state to move forward with production.
Nearly 1,000 presale vouchers were purchased. Because the required threshold was not reached, the state will begin the process of automatically refunding specialty plate voucher purchases. Voucher holders should not need to take action to initiate their refund.
AOPA was honored to support the group of South Florida pilots whose enthusiasm, creativity, and determination turned an idea for a GA specialty plate into a statewide campaign. We are also grateful to the Aerospace Center for Excellence, which went above and beyond to help promote the plate at the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo and was prepared to partner in administering aviation scholarships funded through the plate program.
Most importantly, hundreds of aviation advocates did far more than purchase a voucher. They shared the campaign with fellow pilots, promoted it at airports and aviation events, posted about it on social media, distributed flyers, and encouraged friends and colleagues to participate.
That effort mattered.
The campaign demonstrated something far more important than a license plate: Florida has a passionate GA community willing to step forward and advocate for aviation.
To everyone who purchased a voucher, promoted the plate, or simply helped spread the word, thank you. The license plate may not be moving forward, but our efforts to support and strengthen GA in Florida certainly will.
