When will Florida's Margaritaville license plate be available? Info on Jimmy Buffett tribute

Heads up, parrotheads. In just under a month, Florida will add Margaritaville to its collection of specialty license plates. (Please do not drink margaritas while you drive, no matter how catchy the song is.)

The plates go on sale Oct. 1. When can you get one? That depends on how popular they are.

Florida's favorite son, legendary laid-back musician and business tycoon Jimmy Buffett, who died last September from a rare form of skin cancer, was honored in several ways this year. Last week, State Road A1A was renamed A1A Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway on the same day that is now officially known in the Sunshine State as Jimmy Buffett Day.

And as of Oct. 1, new specialty Florida license plates will be authorized including one named after the singer's classic hit song and the brand name of his entertainment and hospitality empire.

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What will the Margaritaville license plate look like?

The final design has not been decided, but the bill requires the plate to have Florida at the top and Margaritaville at the bottom. Sample plates displayed in the Florida Legislature showed various beach scenes.

Fees from the sale of the plate will be distributed to Singing for Change (SFC Charitable Foundation, Inc.), which was founded by Buffett in 1995 to "provide grants to nonprofit organizations in communities impacted by natural or manmade disasters for recovery, rebuilding, and future sustainability in those communities and to promote and inspire local grassroots leadership that will work to improve the quality of life in those communities and others in this state."

How much will the Margaritaville license plate cost?

Specialty license plates cost an annual $25 on top of your vehicle registration fees. All of the plates can be ordered online or at local DMV offices except for specialty military plates such as Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, etc, which require a form to certify eligibility.

How do I get a Jimmy Buffett license plate in Florida? When will the Margaritaville license plate be available?

Presales begin Tuesday, Oct. 1.

But the FLHSMV has to get at least 3,000 orders before they start making any, so availability will depend on how big the demand is. There are 29 specialty plates already approved in the last couple of years that still haven't hit the threshold yet.

"Organizations will have two years to reach the 3,000-voucher requirement," said FLHSMV spokesperson Molly Best in an email.

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What are specialty license plates?

Specialty license plates are plates for your registered vehicle that feature different artwork than the standard Florida white, orange and green plates to let you add a colorful personal touch for your ride. They cost extra, but proceeds from the sales go to benefit the colleges, environmental causes, sports teams, military services and special interests behind them.

The Sunshine State currently offers over 100 different specialty license plates as of August 1, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and there are 175 different specialty plates on nearly 2.2 million vehicles out there.

What is the most popular specialty license plate in Florida?

According to the FLHSMV, the top-selling specialty plates as of August 1 are:

• Endless Summer: 137,547

• Helping Sea Turtles Survive: 109,624

• University of Florida: 92,662

• Miami Heat: 80,909

• Florida State University: 70,393

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 60,596

• Save the Manatee: 53,334

• Protect Wild Dolphins: 52,575

• Vets of the U.S. Armed Forces: 49,829

• Marine Corps: 49,747

What other new Florida license plates are coming?

The other new plates approved include:

• Margaritaville: A plate to honor the late Florida singer Jimmy Buffett, with proceeds going to Buffett's Singing for Change organization.

• Clearwater Marine Aquarium: A plate to celebrate the aquarium, with money going to efforts to reduce, rehabilitate and release marine life, public education and other conservation strategies.

• General Aviation: A plate supporting general aviation in the state. Fees from sale of the plate will go to the Aerospace Center for Excellence in Lakeland to fund scholarships.

• The Villages: May All Your Dreams Come True: Use fees from sales of his plate will go to support The Villages Charter School Inc.

• Cure Diabetes: Money from this plate will be distributed evenly among The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, JDRF International Incorporated, and the University of Florida Foundation, Inc., which supports the University of Florida Diabetes Institute to fund research into curing Type 1 diabetes,

• Recycle Florida: Use fees from the sale of this plate will go to Recycle Florida Today Foundation, Inc. for a public awareness program on the importance of recycling and conservation, to promote recycling programs, and to support the professional development people working in fields relating to recycling, conservation, and sustainability.

• Boating Capital of the World: Sales of this plate will support Captain Sandy Yawn, Inc. in the effort to promote and fund maritime workforce instruction, training, professional development and job placement in the marine industry both at sea and on land.

• Project Addiction: Reversing the Stigma: This plate will fund the nonprofit Project Addiction: Reversing the Stigma, Inc. to promote and support awareness of and education about substance use disorder and mental illness.

• United Service Organizations (USO): Annual use fees will go toward United Service Organizations, Inc. to be distributed equally among its ten Florida locations to promote its mission of supporting members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

Other changes in the bill:

• Collegiate plates will be exempt from the rules requiring the bottom 10% of specialty plates measured in sales to be dropped each year

• Previously dropped colleges and universities can apply to be reinstated

• Proceeds from the "Live the Dream" plate will be redistributed: 95% benefits the Historic Cemeteries Program to research, identify, and record abandoned African-American cemeteries and provide grants, with up to 5% going to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. as a royalty for the use of the image of Dr. King.

• Replaces the phrase “In God We Trust” with “Protect the Eagle” on the bottom of the American Eagle license plate design

• Expands eligibility of the "Divine Nine" license plate to include family members of alumni

• Renames the "Give Kids The World" plate to create the "Universal Orlando Resort" plate.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Margaritaville license plate: On sale in Florida soon, what to know