A general aviation license plate will soon be available for purchase in Florida because of the passionate efforts of three aviators with support from the AOPA advocacy team.
Local Florida pilots Joseph Hurtuk, Dr. Ian Goldbaum, and Richard Golightly bonded over their shared interest in aviation and determination to give back to the industry. They designed a Support General Aviation specialty license plate to reflect the economic impact aviation has on the state—which is ranked third in the U.S. for the total number of pilots, aircraft, and airports.
Proceeds from the sale of the specialty plate will help fund aviation education scholarships for Floridians managed through the Aerospace Center for Excellence in Lakeland, Florida.
The three pilots worked with AOPA Southern Regional Manager Stacey Heaton to collaborate with elected officials to promote the plate. Integral to legislative efforts to pass the plate through the House and Senate were state Rep. Doug Bankson (R-District 39) and his office, and state Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-District 83) and her office. Thanks to ongoing collaboration, the plate has passed through the Florida legislature and is headed to the governor’s desk for signature—which is eagerly anticipated by the end of the month.
“Special thanks go to Representative Bankson and Senator Harrell,” said Heaton. “The representative’s own passion for aviation and the senator’s recognition of our members’ passion for aviation made this effort possible.”
Once signed, coordination with the state to get these plates to the public begins. Pre-sales for the plate are slated to begin October 1 and 3,000 sales are required before a single unit can be produced.
