Fans of Jimmy Buffett around the world can cruise down the highway listening to songs about wasting away in Margaritaville and chowing down on a cheeseburger in paradise, but in Florida, fans have the option of honoring the late musician with a license plate on the back of their vehicle.
In January 2024, the Florida Legislature approved two bills to honor Buffett, who died on Sept. 1, 2023.
“Margaritaville is just what Florida is all about,” said Republican state Sen. Gayle Harrell, who sponsored one of the bills. “Jimmy Buffett is the icon of Florida. No one represents the open sun, beaches, [and] music more than Jimmy Buffett and Margaritaville.”
JIMMY BUFFETT’S LIFE IN PHOTOS
Florida GOP state Sen. Gayle Harrell shows samples of a proposed specialty license plate to honor iconic singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett in Tallahassee, Florida, on Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brendan Farrington, File)
One of the bills designated State Road A1A as Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, while the other created a specialty license plate with the word “Margaritaville,” which is the title of the 1977 hit song written by Buffett that has become a nickname for Key West.
As of Thursday, 2,199 Margaritaville license plates had been ordered. In order to reach the 3,000 pre-order requirement, 801 still needed to be purchased in advance.
Still, proceeds from license plate sales will go to a charity founded by Buffett, Singing for Change, and will benefit Florida nonprofits that help victims of hurricanes and other disasters, Harrell said.
FLORIDA MOVES TO RENAME HIGHWAY AFTER JIMMY BUFFETT, RELEASE ‘MARGARITAVILLE’ LICENSE PLATES
Jimmy Buffett performs during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course in Louisiana in 2014. (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website has a number of new specialty license plates available for pre-sale and displays the number ordered and number required to manufacture.
For example, a specialty plate is on pre-order for the MLS soccer team Inter Miami CF, and of the 3,000 required, 1,493 have been ordered thus far.
Other specialty license plates include ones for the Florida State Beekeepers Association, which has 929 ordered; Honor Flight, which has 263 ordered; Cancer Research Matters, which has 111 ordered; and Down syndrome, which has 110 ordered.
While many Buffett fans have come through to get the license plate closer to reality, the question remains whether enough fans will put their fins up and finish the job.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/jimmy-buffett-fans-florida-closer-getting-license-plate-honor-late-singer
