You’ve seen them on cars throughout the country, specialty license plates that let every driver on the road know a cause that is close to your heart.

Did you know arts lovers throughout the Sunshine State have their own specialty plate to show off their support? There are nearly 22,000 drivers in the state who have Florida’s State of the Arts license plate affixed to their vehicles, with Broward County holding the No. 2 spot in the state with 1,675 drivers sporting the plates.

Of the more than 100 specialty plates available for Florida drivers, the State of the Arts plates rank 29th in popularity, according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).

The Florida Arts License Plate Program was created by the legislature in 1994. The annual $20 fee collected through the sale of the plates is given to the counties where the plates are sold.

Phillip Dunlap, director of the Broward County Cultural Division, says that the amount of revenue each county receives varies each year based on how many drivers purchase the arts license plates. So, the more drivers who get the plates, the more money that is given to support Broward County arts.

Dunlap said that during COVID, the funds were a lifesaver for non-profit arts organizations who were under duress. “(There was) almost $450,000 of funding that we were able to allocate during the crisis,” said Dunlap.

Carmeline Mangano of Fort Lauderdale, who has a personalized State of the Arts plate, owned a Corvette before she got her new Alpha Romeo Stelvio and thought the plate would look nice on her new SUV. “I thought it was pretty,” and she was glad that along with her beautiful plate, the $20 annual fee is her contribution to supporting Broward County arts.

“It’s such a simple way to support local artists and arts organizations,” said Deborah Kerr, of the Broward County Cultural Council, adding that she has one on her car and there is one on her husband’s car.

“Whichever county your car is registered, that’s where the funds will go,” explained Kerr.

Kerr is known around town as the woman with the custom-made “State of the Arts” purse she hardly ever leaves home without. When she found a company who could use one of her old State of the Arts license plates, she thought it was a great way to show that the license plates are available. “I have taken photos with Playbills and programs sticking out of the purse and posted them on social media. It is just another way to make people aware that plates are out there – that they can have one on their car and support the arts.”

An outspoken champion of the State of the Arts license plate, Kerr is on another quest to get more of the plates on cars and trucks on the road. She said that a Miami-Dade County art handling company has put the State of the Arts plate on each of its trucks; she is hoping there are Broward County companies out there that want to do the same.

“Not only will people see the plates on the roads but each one of those trucks gets us more money for our Broward County arts organizations.”

Additionally, FLHSMV has a specialty license plate gift certificate program, so anyone can give the arts lover in their life a State of the Arts plate. Remember, in Florida most registrations are renewed on the birth date of the registrant, so the gift certificates are a great, and unique, birthday gift.

The tag itself was designed in 1994 by Hillsborough County artist Stephen Kline.

Florida is one of 15 states that has a State Arts License Plate program, along with Alaska, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Find the Driver License and Motor Vehicle Service Centers in Broward County here.