St. Johns River Number Plate Aproved

The St. Johns River Alliance will get its own specialty number plate next year, finally. It took three years to get to this point, pending Gov. Charlie Crist’s signature.

The St. Johns River is our western boundary and the St. Johns County Commission is part of the 13-county alliance. What this number plate would do is to bring steady non-tax dollars for educational outreach, conservation, and research. The estimated $300,000 annually the number plate would generate would come from the additional $25 per tag a customer would pay above the usual number plate fee.

The proposed plate failed last year because it was caught up in a controversy over whether the state should have more advocacy number plates — there are more than 150 now — and what themes should be on the plates. Specific themes questioned last year were religious including the use of words such as “trinity,” and honoring the Confederacy. Both died along with the river number plate.