Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation authorizing the creation of a "Florida Stands with Israel" specialty license plate. The bill enjoyed bipartisan sponsorship and passed through both the Florida House and Senate unanimously.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The Israeli-American Council applauded DeSantis, the Florida Legislature and the people of Florida "for this heartwarming expression of solidarity, which affirms the strong bond between the State of Florida's citizens and the Jewish State of Israel."
The design of the specialty license plate will be decided by a free 30-day contest open to submissions by the general public. The contest will be sponsored by the IAC and coordinated by co-sponsor organization, Artists 4 Israel.
After the final design is submitted and approved by the Florida Department of Transportation the IAC will lead a community marketing campaign, along with the co-sponsorship of IAC for Action and our local community partners, to drive the necessary 3000 plate pre-sales needed to authorize production.
"The design of the specialty license plate will be decided by a free 30-day contest open to submissions by the general public," the IAC said in a statement. "The contest will be sponsored by the IAC and technically coordinated by co-sponsor organization, Artists 4 Israel. The panel of judges will consist of the lead legislative sponsors of the bill – Sen. Aaron Bean, Sen. Lauren Book, Rep. JW Grant, Rep. Kionne McGhee and Rep. Scott Plakon – joined by Bal Harbour Mayor and community leader Gabe Groisman."
IAC Board Member and IAC for Action Board Chairman Shawn Evenhaim stated: "This kind of warmth is why Florida has always been a leading destination for Israeli-Americans. This gesture celebrates a long and close relationship. Florida and Israel share many ties, including bilateral trade, common values, and leadership in cutting edge fields that have a quality of life impact for all citizens. Florida has been a leader over the years in the fight against anti-Jewish hatred and discrimination, for example, its groundbreaking anti-BDS law and codification this past year of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. We applaud and sincerely appreciate this meaningful expression of solidarity and are pleased that the Israeli-American community can play a part in support of these efforts. Thank you Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature. Shana Tova U'Metuka."
IAC Co-Founder and CEO Shoham Nicolet stated: "This is an incredible gesture of friendship following Governor DeSantis' highly successful 2019 trade mission to Israel and signing of a tough antisemitism law in Jerusalem. When considering the special Florida-Israel relationship, it is critical to examine the cutting-edge nature of the bi-lateral trade and exchange taking place. Trade with Israel encompasses many of the state's most vital sectors, such as agriculture, water desalinization, health sciences, disaster relief, avionics, and essential technology research and development. The Florida-Israel relationship has a beneficial quality of life impact around the world. We applaud the efforts of the sponsoring legislators who made this happen. We also thank our friends at Artists 4 Israel and the Broward Jewish Federation for their co-sponsorship in this campaign. We thank our counterparts at IAC for Action, and my colleague Executive Director Joe Sabag, who is a leading Floridian pro-Israel advocate, for their excellent work in providing policy guidance and expertise throughout the authorization process."
