Governor Ron DeSantis enacted into law HB1135 on September 18, 2020, which authorized the creation of a specialty license plate to promote the need for lifesaving organ and tissue donors. The Donate Life Florida specialty plate was requested by Donate Life Florida, the non-profit coalition of Florida’s organ, eye and tissue donor programs. Donate Life Florida manages the state’s donor registry and encourages Floridians to register their decision to become lifesaving donors.
“Donate Life Florida receives no tax-payer dollars for business operations or to manage the state’s donor registry,” said Ashley Moore, chairwoman of Donate Life Florida. “We rely entirely on voluntary contributions. The fee associated with the sale of this license plate will provide tremendous resources to help us in our mission to save more lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.”
The legislation requires Donate Life Florida to presell 3,000 vouchers toward the purchase of the new license plate within a 24-month timeframe before production can begin. Donate Life Florida has launched a virtual campaign to bring awareness and promote the new specialty plate.
“The vouchers will be available for sale starting on October 16,” Moore said, “and we are encouraging all Floridians who support organ and tissue donation and transplantation to consider making an investment in this specialty license plate.”
The cost of the Donate Life Florida specialty plate will be $25, plus $8 in state and local fees. Floridians can schedule an appointment at their local tax collector or driver license office to purchase the voucher.
There are more than 108,000 patients awaiting organ transplants across the nation, and of those, more than 5,200 are listed at transplant centers in Florida.
One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight individuals, and one tissue donor can enhance the lives of up to 75 people.
For more information on how you can purchase the Donate Life Florida specialty plate voucher, or how you can register to become an organ donor, visit www.DonateLifeFlorida.org.
