Gadsden license plate reaches minimum pre-sales goal
Clay County Tax Collector Diane Hutchings said the license plate featuring a rattlesnake and the “Don’t Tread on Me” message had achieved 3,000 pre-sales, meaning the state will offer the tag as one of its vanity plate options. Hutchings said that as of Oct. 24, 3,876 people have committed to purchasing the new plate. The Florida Veterans Foundation receives part of the proceeds for each plate sold.
South Carolina politician Christopher Gadsden designed the flag after Benjamin Franklin used the rattlesnake as a symbol of defiance against British colonialism.
In August, Gov. Ron DeSantis raised awareness of the plate with a social media message.
“The free state of Florida has a new license plate for pre-order that benefits the Florida Veterans Foundation and sends a clear message to out-of-state cars, ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ or Florida,” DeSantis tweeted.
After the governor’s tweet, an NPR story claimed that for many, the flag has come to symbolize far-right extremist ideology, including the “Stop the Steal” movement that sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the top 5 selling vanity plates in Florida are Endless Summer with 121,273 sold, Helping Sea Turtles Survive: 102,602, University of Florida: 93,499, Florida State University: 70,187 and Miami Heat: 67,387.
About The Author
