Florida considers eliminating vehicle registration stickers

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(The Center Square) – A yellow registration decal on Florida drivers’ license plates that shows their vehicles are legally registered with the state would be eliminated under two bills introduced in the state legislature. 

Senate Bill 982, filed by Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, and House Bill 841, filed by Rep. Tom Fabricio, require vehicle registration renewals to be recorded electronically instead. 

The legislation was filed after Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez proposed doing away with the required stickers, saying it would save taxpayers millions of dollars a year in Miami-Dade by reducing production, postal and replacement costs.

“The physical yellow decal is no longer needed,” Fernandez said in a statement. “It fades, peels, gets stolen, and costs our residents money every year. Eliminating the physical decal is a common-sense step forward for our state, one that saves money, reduces fraud, and embraces the technology we already have.”

If passed, the law would go into effect next July. Drivers would still need to renew their vehicles’ registrations annually, Fernandez said. 

“Today, law enforcement relies on real-time electronic verification through license plate readers and in-car systems that instantly confirm registration status,” Fernandez said. “A sticker does not provide accuracy. It only provides the appearance of compliance and can be easily falsified, stolen, damaged, or overlooked.”

“Get it done!” Gov. Ron DeSantis replied on social media after Fernandez recommended the change.

Several other states have eliminated the decals in recent years, including Vermont, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

The move saved Pennsylvania $1.1 million per year and another $2 million in mailing costs, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles.