You may think you’re the best driver on the road, and you keep your car in tip-top shape, so you’ll never be pulled over by the police, right?
Not so fast.
Any license plate cover, not just the dark, smoked acrylic type, but even clear covers are illegal in Florida. How about those license plate frames? Nothing is allowed to cover any information on the plate, according to Florida law.
According to Florida Statute 320.061, it’s illegal to “alter motor vehicle registration certificates, license plates, mobile home stickers, or validation stickers or to obscure license plates.”
A license plate frame doesn’t alter the license plate, but if it obscures any information, such as state, county or registration sticker, that’s also illegal, according to the same statute, which says, “A person may not alter the original appearance of a vehicle registration certificate, license plate, temporary license plate, mobile home sticker, or validation sticker issued for and assigned to a motor vehicle or mobile home…”
Photo: MJ/BBGI
So, if you’re following all the rules of the road, but look up only to find red and blue flashing lights signaling you to pull over, it could be for something as seemingly benign as that license plate frame with the car dealer’s name on it, or even a frame saluting your favorite sports team.
Something that simple could wind up getting you a ticket and costing you money.