I just was just wondering how many state have a lighthouse on their license plate or which states offer a lighthouse plate. It may determine where I'll live next. I know of Virginia and maybe Michigan having one. Also if anyone finds any can you provide a picture? Without the actual numbers and letters of course.

I know Connecticut uses Old Saybrook.

Here's a link to a website that has some photos (Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia):

http://danslight.faithweb.com/plates/

There are two versions in NJ.

One is supposed to be Barnegat, but I don't think it looks very much like it. The other is of Tucker's Island. It's actually for the Baymen's Museum in tuckerton, NJ but it uses the Lighthouse.

Here's the link for the plates. The images are not very clear, however.

http://www.state.nj.us/mvs/specalAmore.htm

You can actually- or at least you could at one time- buy a souvenier plate from VI with whatever you want on it up to a certain number of characters. The link is somewhere in the forums.

Here's the link for that topic

http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/cgi-bin/forumscgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000825

Dennis

Several states have sample plates available from the DMV for sale. I've collected plates so far from NJ, VA, CT, NC. Usually you can find what you need from the states DMV website.
Other plates you can sometimes find for auction on Ebay. These would include one of Delaware's older plates and New York's for the Long Island Region.
States I don't have or know the availability of sample plates are: MA, MI, OH
Also, the last I saw, the Florida Lighthouse Association was trying to collect enough interest from Florida residents for a new plate for FL. I've also seen a second NC plate with a lighthouse on it, I belive it is Bodie Island but I'm not 100% on that nor have I seen it anywhere other than on the NC DMV website as coming soon.

shirin

I am moving this topic to the General Forum as it does not fit in with the topics here.

Ron
(CT Keeper)

Ohio has Marblehead on our plate for an extra fee of $25.00. I also have mine personalized for an extra $25.00. (I think that's what it costs anyway!) In the past I have had: BEAM, BECONS, and my present plate is the one I plan on keeping for a while: LITHSE. I have extras of some of these. Any one out there want to trade? I only have one other state, but would be willing to trade an Ohio for others!

Hopefully Florida will get one!

Michigan definitely has a lighthouse license plate - I have one on the back of my car. The light on it is White Shoal with it's distinctive red and white barber pole striping. If I'm not mistaken, the extra $$$ for the lighthouse plate goes toward lighthouse preservation here in Michigan. Given that there are 116 lights here in the state, it's a needy and worthy cause!

Gary

Here's a page of various license plates that I put together in 1998-1999. I think that Michigan plate may be Gary's - or Jeff & Mary Meyers

www.harbourlights.com/images/license_plates/

Might belong to Jeff and Mary but it isn't mine, John. I drove the van to Wisconsin the last time and the lighthouse plate is on the back of my LHS.

Gary

We have a lighthouse license plate here in the First State of DELAWARE.

Nice set of plates in that display, JC!

Bob

[img]http://members.aol.com/biri97/capecodBOBM.bmp[/img]

Bob

[img]http://members.aol.com/biri97/connecticutRONF.bmp[/img]

Bob

It would be great if Florida would get a lisence
plate with a lighthouse, especially if some of the money would go back to the lighthouses for
upkeep.Florida already has about 56 different
plates so one more should't be a problem.

The Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) is currently trying to get a Lighthouse License Plate passed by the state. When the FLA started this campaign two years ago, the guidelines were 15,000 signatures (FLA residents only) on a petition from people who believed the license plate would be a good idea (which in no way obligated any of those who signed to have to purchase the license plate), along with a $15,000 application fee. The application fee then went up to $30,000, $60,000, and is now up to $100,000; along with 17,000 signatures. The FLA now has over the appointed 17,000 signatures, but falls very short of the application fee. Along with the signatures and fees, the state demands that a survey be done (at the FLA's expense) by a non-bias group to see if people really would be interested in the license plate. {You would think that over 17,000 signatures would be proof enough, but the state doesn't think so.}

The state just recently contracted Ken Smith of Ken Smith Architect and Mr. Bender of Bender & Associates to conduct a survey on the current conditions of the thirty Florida Lighthouses still standing. The two contracting companies have turned in the report to the Florida Legislator. The Condition Assessment Report included the following items: ownership status, location, local contacts, inspection of each lighthouse, condition assessment, cost estimate for repairs, National Register Status, and Economic Impact each lighthouses had on the city/county it resided in. {As all of you know, the lighthouses bring in the tourists (visitors) and with the tourist come money for the lighthouse and the town it's in.}

The FLA is hoping that once the state reads the survey results, they will realize the impact that lighthouses have on their communities and the state as a whole. A large portion of our lighthouses need repair and some need major repairs (i.e. Crooked River, Cape St. George, Anclote Key). If the state wants to save these beautiful, historical pieces of our state's and nation's past, they will need to find a way to fund the repair needed to restore and upkeep the 30 lighthouses in Florida. The FLA believes a lighthouse license plate would be a MAJOR help to this issue. Even if only 500 people were to purchase the plates, let's say $15.00 was to go to the FLA, that's $7,500 that would be used to save and restore a lighthouse. Add to that a state-matching fund and you have $15,000 to save, restore, and open a lighthouse or lighthouses to the public.

So, though Florida does not have a Lighthouse License Plate, YET , the FLA and its over 600 members are trying hard to get one. We may have heat, lots of sun, bugs, humidity, and no lighthouse license plate, we do have a great love and pride for our Lighthouses and aren't afraid of working hard to save them. Maybe soon we will be able to proudly display our Lighthouse License Plates also!

Thank you,
BonnieJean
FLA Secretary

Thanks so much for that update.

Just who decided that the number of signatures and the funds should have to go up so much and so often? Is that Jeb Bush?

The fee is ridiculous. UNLESS it would mean that the premium to buyers of the special plates would mean they would get ALL of the money from the sale of these special plates.

And even if that were true, it shouldn't cost $100,000 to develope and produce those plates over and above the costs of the 'regular' plates.

So what did it cost to get 'Save the Manatee' and 'Remember The Challenger' FL plates?

The Legislator is the one who keeps uping the signature and fee requirement. They feel that Florida already has too many different license plates - we have more than any other state in the US. They figure that if they make the fee unreachable, organizations will stop trying to get a license plate made. The "Save the Manatee" plate you referred to was made when the state just started making "different" specialty plates. The "Challanger" plate was organized by NASA, I believe, as we all know, they have plenty of money and persuasion. That State of Florida has stated that they will no longer make or accept any more specialty plates after 2006. The FLA is trying hard to raise funds to get the Lighthouse License Plate accepted before the license plate deadline.

The truth of the matter is that you either have to raise the funds and play by the rules, or find some one in the legislator that will help push these matters forward with little problems.

BJE

There must be somebody in the legislature that
loves lighthouses!! I didn't realize that getting
a lighthouse plate would be so difficult.

I don't think the FLA thought it would be this hard either when it first started to push for one. We are trying to get support for the project. Our Vice President Wayne Hawes (also the President of the Gulf Alliance - the association that is working hard to save the Anclote Key Lighthouse in Florida) is trying to get contacts there now for support on this project. The biggest thing we have going for us right now is the support of Ken Smith and his company. Ken is a Lighthouse lover as well as a great Lighthouse Architect. Hopefully his Assessment Report of the Florida Lighthouses will push things in our favor! Let's hope!

BonnieJean

Here's the plate that's on my car



And the one on my wife's car which is suppossed to be Barnegat, but I don't think it looks right.



And this is the one I ordered from Virginia.



Dennis

I WANT A FLORIDA LIGHTHOUSE LICENSE PLATE!!! Anyone know someone in the Florida Legislator? I'll lobby for it myself - one hour with me and they'll give me the plate just to shut me up!!!

BJE

It is amazing to think all these states have plates. I hope Florida gets one before those landlocked states.

Knowing our luck here in Sunny Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico will end up getting a Lighthouse License Plate before we do! Won't that just be a kick in the pants area! I'd have move if that ever happened! I know what I'll do - I'll move to Maine, get me a Lighthouse License Plate and stock up on State Quarters! :p

I was given news this week from a fellow board member that may be good for the on-going fight for our Lighthouse License Plate. We have to wait and see what is said at our next meeting about the subject. I'll let you know what happens at our next meeting as soon as it's over. Let's all cross our fingers and hope this is the break we needed!

BJE

Looks like I've moved to a good state for lighthouses. Not only is there a license plate for Connecticut but my new drivers license has a lighthouse on it as well.

shirin

Sure Shirin - rub it in! Would you like a little salt for that wound? :rolleyes: