Stevenson supporting River Alliance plates

St. Johns County District 1 Commissioner, Cyndi Stevenson, told local Historic City News reporters this morning that she is proud to support the St. Johns River Alliance automobile license plate that sources say should be available as early as next week.

A tag agent in the St. Johns County Tax Collector’s Office informed Historic City News that, although the main office and branches do not have the tag that was approved in October, they may have them on the shelf as early as next week.

The St. Johns River Alliance license plate will cost $25.00 more than the regular charge for your Florida tag.

According the information received from the Alliance, the first 50% of the service charge will go towards the cost to continue community outreach and access programs; while 30% will be available for qualified community-based research projects — through a competitive grant program. The remaining $5.00 will be split evenly between promotion and marketing of the license plate and administrative costs.

This makes 123 specialty license plates in Florida. Some say there are too many specialty plates — including those in the law enforcement community who find them sometimes difficult to recognize. However, local Flagler College, who also has a plate, says that the revenue to the school is important and the specialty tags not only promote the school but also provide a bond with graduates after they leave. The state has implemented minimum sales standards for organizations who seek to offer specialty license plates.

The late Jacksonville Senator Jim King worked hard to win legislative approval of the tag; as a tribute, the word “KING” is lettered on the side of the boat depicted on the specialty license plate.