Kids Tag Art – Video
Kids Tag Art – The Story
Take a drive anywhere in Florida, and your eyes take in a plethora of various license plate designs. Florida offers over 120 different designs for license tags, the second highest of any state in the nation.
The above quote from a newspaper article illustrates the popularity of state specialty tags, their creativity and the role they play as an important fundraising source for state-wide community sector non-profit organizations.
Each state specialty tag must be approved by the Florida Legislature and is distributed through local Tax Collector Offices. These specialty tags benefit universities, public schools, environmental organizations, sports foundations, and other causes promoted by non-profit organizations.
In 2002, Joe Tedder, Tax Collector for Polk County, encouraged his staff to get involved in the Great American Teach-In, where community leaders were invited into classrooms across the county. Randy Hunt, Tedder’s Chief Deputy of Administration, spear-headed the effort with a visit to Valleyview Elementary School in south Lakeland. Randy presented an informational program to 5th graders that invited the students to create their own specialty license plate artwork.
The program was a hit in the classroom! The children enjoyed learning more about specialty tags and designing their own. Many of the tags were very clever and exhibited well-developed artistic composition. Today those tags can still be seen on the Tax Collector website at www.PolkTaxes.com
Subsequently, the Tax Collector’s Office began to think of a way to let everyone in on the fun!
And so the POLK COUNTY KIDS TAG ART PROGRAM was born.
With founding sponsors Central Florida Eurocars and Douglass Screen Printers, along with Polk County Public Schools, Polk Museum of Art, Ridge Art Association, Lake Wales Art Council, and The Polk Arts Alliance, this program has become a great classroom art fundraiser that art teachers have used to expand their program offerings and engage creativity.
Below is a list of fun facts relating to license plates which you can share with your students.
Polk County Kids Tag Art Fun Facts
What are the symbols on Florida’s regular license plate? State of Florida and the Orange
Where do auto owners get there license plates? Tax Collector’s Offices
License tags must be renewed by when? Your birthday (not at the end of the month!)
How much more do specialty license plates cost? It varies from $15 – $25; Maximum is $25
How much money is collected for specialty license plates each year? In 2021, Polk County collected $1,030,653 for specialty license plates.
Which was the first specialty license plate and why was it developed? The Challenger tag; it provides funds for astronaut memorials and space research and economic development. $ 1.1 million annual in 2004
What is the best selling specialty license plate? The Endless Summer plate. It has sold 110,139 plates in Florida as of 2021.
What are the next 5 top selling license plates? (2) Helping Sea Turtles Survive (3) University of Florida (4) Florida State University (5) Miami Heat (as of 2021).
How many license plates are sold each year and how much money is raised? 1.7 Million Specialty License Plates; $39 Million Statewide (as of June 2019)
How many character spaces can you use to personalize a license plate? If the specialty license plate has a center design, you can use 7 characters and a space or a dash; otherwise, only 5 characters are available.