By Natalie Belva
While Floridians are relatively unenthusiastic about purchasing specialty license plates associated with endangered species, those tags represent six of the 10 most popular license plates.
In the third of a four-part series of public opinion surveys conducted by the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education, results showed that respondents had mixed feelings about buying a specialty license plate to support endangered species protection efforts.
Only 41 percent of the 499 respondents were likely or very likely to purchase a specialty license plate, compared to 77 percent who were likely or very likely to avoid buying products made from endangered species and 76 percent who would dodge purchasing non-native or invasive plants or animals.
Nearly 30 percent of respondents said they were unlikely or very unlikely to purchase a specialty license plate and 27 percent remained neutral.
“Out of all the drivers in the state, there are a small number of people who purchase specialty license plates and there are many different specialty license plates to choose from,” PIE Center Director Tracy Irani said. “Individuals may have to make choices between whether they’re going to support endangered species and pick a manatee or sea turtle plate, or support public education or the many other worthwhile programs that are available.”
Given that specialty plates are a source of revenue for statewide protection efforts, this finding is particularly relevant, Irani continued. Tags that support sea turtles, panthers and manatees in particular rank among the most popular in the state, bringing in a combined $3.9 million for the 2012 fiscal year.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the 24 environmental specialty plates available generated more than $10.6 million for the 2012 fiscal year.
The Helping Sea Turtles Survive plate brought in $1.4 million on new purchases and yearly fees, followed by the Protect the Panther plate with revenue of $1.3 million and the Save the Sea Manatee plate with $1.2 million. Other popular plates include Protect Wild Dolphins, Protect Our Reefs and Save our Seas, which generated a combined $2.6 million. The six plates trail only the University of Florida and Florida State University in terms of popularity.
Previous PIE Center public opinion surveys examined perceptions of issues associated with water quality and quantity, as well as immigration reform. Results from the fourth survey, dealing with food production practices, are due out in early December.
