Floridians have given their opinion on a new license plate design they say should be phased in over the next two years.
The design, featuring solid green bars and a strategically placed orange replacing the O in the word Florida amid the upper bar, received the most votes in the state Department of Safety Highway and Motor Vehicles' three-week online poll of four proposals.
None of the designs received a clear majority, with the plate that will now be advanced receiving 15,441 votes out of 50,124 cast and the deciding factor may come down to Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet.
The online poll represents one part of the process to select the new plate design, a release from the department stated. Before the design is manufactured, the publics vote will be factored in with input from the governor, Cabinet and policy-makers.
The four designs offered to the public were crafted in-house at the State Department, with input from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials and tax collectors.
There are more than 15 million vehicles on the road.
Besides layout and colors, the new design expands the typical plate from six to seven letters and is intended to make certain characters more distinguishable from one another, such as the "Q" and "O" or "B" and "8." The redo on the characters is intended for public safety and to increase collection by $4.8 million on drivers running toll booths.
The state estimates that 10 percent of motorists run SunPass and other toll booths without corresponding transponders.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
