FLORIDA BASS PLATE

"BASS SPECIALTY PLATE HISTORY"

The idea for the new bass specialty plate is an old one. Ever since the Challenger plate broke new ground in 1987, various agencies and nonprofit organizations have considered the value of offering a highly visible specialty license plate that citizens could purchase to provide fiscal support for select causes, show their allegiance, or simply decorate their cars. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FwC's) first entry into the specialty plate market was in 1990 with the panther plate. In 1995 it generated $3,950,000 (158,000 sales at $25 each). The second biggest money maker that year was the manatee tag (175,000 at $15 produced $2,625,000). Money from those plates is designated specifically for the panther and manatee, which are endangered or threatened, and for environmental education, emphasizing endangered species. A small amount (15%) of panther tag revenues, at the direction of the Legislature, also goes to the Community Trust Fund. The manatee program is coordinated by the Department of Environmental Protection. These earmarked monies cannot go to assist overall conservation efforts.

In 1994, FWC staff and various user groups recognized that tax increases or even user-fee increases were not likely to occur in the near future and that after several consecutive years of budget cutting, the FWC was still facing an annual deficit of nearly $3.5 million. Consequently, the idea of another plate to fund general fish and wildlife management was very appealing. It is a relatively painless way for anyone who wants to help our living resources by contributing to conservation management, while adding a beautiful tag to their car that shows their support for nature.

Although many people pointed to the number of plates already available, FWC research showed that only 6 percent of registered vehicles currently have specialty tags, and no one else was addressing the marketing niche for small trailers. In addition, there seemed to be interest in tags that are especially relevant to pickup trucks and recreational vehicles. The next question was what the design should be. The following facts persuaded FWC staff that a natural scene depicting a bass was the way to go:

• There are nearly 1.1 million freshwater anglers in Florida;
• More than 600,000 of them consider themselves to be bass anglers;
• There are more than 450,000 boats registered in Florida of types commonly used for freshwater fishing, and no one else markets a specialty tag for boat trailers, as well as vehicles;
• The Florida bass is a native subspecies of bass, which was designated as Florida's state fish for good reason. It is a beautiful, hard-fighting fish that provides wholesome recreation and relaxation for over a million residents and tourists each year and is an indicator of how well the State is protecting Florida's aquatic habitat for all species-- including people;
• The Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society (BASS) was enthusiastic about helping lead a petition campaign for the necessary signatures to gain legislative approval for the tag, and
• The Division of Fisheries was willing to lead the way to get the tag approved, designed and marketed.

Once the decision was made in the summer of 1994, an art contest was held with more than 100 wildlife artists, mostly from Florida, invited to compete. The winning artist was Scott Hiestand, a graphic designer with the "Orlando Sentinel."

Meanwhile, a petition campaign was conducted to obtain the 8,500 signatures the Legislature was unofficially requiring as an indication of citizen interest prior to allowing any more specialty plates to be sold. Mr. Mike Westney, President of the BASS Federation of Florida, took a lead role in working with local clubs and the national BASS organization to help collect the signatures. Before the end of the 1995 session, a general plate design, the 8,500 signatures, a marketing plan and fiscal impact projection (a minimum of $500,000 within two years, and a million or more in subsequent years) were available. Senator George Kirkpatrick and Representative Randy Mackey sponsored the bills, and they passed through all of the necessary committees and off of the House floor. Unfortunately, time ran out in the final 1995 Senate session before the bill could be passed.

What did pass in 1995, however, was a new law that formally required 10,000 signatures from Florida drivers interested in purchasing a plate and a $30,000 application fee to cover the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' start up costs for making and distributing a new specialty plate. Consequently, it was back to work for more signatures with the BASS Federation and many other environmental and outdoor recreational groups joining in. The result was 18,000 signatures collected, at the grass roots level, before we could tell them we had enough.

The bill was again sponsored by Senator Kirkpatrick in the Senate, and in the House Representative Jerrold Burroughs enthusiastically took the lead. Representative Mackey still expressed his support but had committed to his limit of bills, so was unable to sponsor the House bill a second time. This time there were no hitches. The bills passed both chambers and were signed by Governor Lawton Chiles, becoming law in 1996.

A market survey was then sent to random owners of vehicles and trailers, as well as a sample of the individuals who signed the petition. It helped refine the design and determined that most respondents are enthusiastic supporters of the new plate. More than 80 percent felt the design was good or excellent, and 91 percent felt that way about the colors. When asked what design they felt was most attractive of all the plates in Florida, including the new bass tag, respondents picked the bass and panther tag first and second, followed at some distance by the Challenger, education and manatee tags. Due to response bias, these selections are not statistically valid, but do indicate the bass tag is a "keeper."

The bass plate is different from the panther and manatee plates in that proceeds are designated by the Legislature for fish and wildlife conservation in general and will not be divided with other efforts. The GFC will receive $25 from every bass plate sold. The money will be used to help offset major funding deficits that have occurred during the last few years, due to more state general tax revenues being needed for prisons, education and other purposes than in the past. In addition, fishing and hunting license sales, which generate a major portion of the funding for Florida's fish and wildlife conservation efforts have been on the decline. In part this is due to Legislative exemptions for senior citizens, youths, cane-pole anglers (in their county of residence) and others. Nearly half of our citizens fish for free in fresh water. Florida has the greatest percentage of senior citizens in the nation (18.3% vs. the national average of 12.6%), and the greatest proportional increase in senior citizens each year (in 1950 only 8.5% of Floridians were senior citizens). Hence, these exemptions create an increasing deficit as time goes on. The bass tag is one way for exempted citizens, and non-sportsmen who enjoy the outdoors to contribute to managing the resources they love.

Fish and wildlife conservation programs that will continue as a result of bass plate sales include habitat restoration activities, wildlife law enforcement, stocking, environmental education, access enhancement, and research. The exact types of programs that respondents to our marketing survey felt were most important--regardless of whether they were recreational enthusiasts or just lovers of nature and the out-of-doors. Moreover, the respondents agreed the money should be divided fairly evenly between fish and wildlife management issues.

Florida's freshwater state fish is a keeper, and it now has a plate of its own. So stop by your local tax collector's office and arrange to land yourself a trophy that will proclaim your support for enhancing Florida's fish and wildlife, and the habitat that supports us all.