Lackluster sales end ‘Kids Deserve Justice’ specialty license plate
The “Kids Deserve Justice” specialty license plate created by The Florida Bar Foundation to help fund legal services to low-income children has been discontinued due to low sales.
On average, the plate provided the Foundation around $36,000 annually that was used to fund Children’s Legal Services grants to legal aid providers throughout the state.
Florida law dictates that in order keep a specialty tag in circulation it must maintain 3,000 registrations for 12 consecutive months. The approximately 1,400 Kids Deserve Justice plates registrations didn’t meet that threshold. The plate consistently hovered near the bottom 10% of specialty license plate sales in the state.
The plate was created in 2004 under the leadership of then Florida Bar President Kelly Overstreet Johnson with the goal of providing more funding for children’s legal services. Since then, it raised almost $700,000 for the Foundation to give grants to legal aid programs that protect abused and neglected children, children in foster care, and children who need special education testing and services, or access to health care.
Florida license plates must be replaced every 10 years. You may continue to use your KDJ plate until it is time to be replaced. If you have questions, contact your local tag agency or Michelle Fonseca, Florida Bar Foundation development director, at 407-960-7000.
The plate may be gone, but the need still exists. Visit the Foundation’s website to directly donate to support the Foundation’s work in funding children legal services in Florida.
Your gift supports lawyers who work to:
- Protect children from physical abuse;
- Ensure fair and equal access to schooling;
- Access services for disabled children and those aging out of foster care;
- Stop children from being trafficked;
- Support children with complex medical needs;
- Represent children whose parents are affected by the opioid crisis; and
- Secure shelter for children in need of stable housing.
