Authorities in Florida are currently dealing with an epidemic of the automotive variety. Car owners all over the region are customizing their license plates to the extreme and they’re violating Florida state laws while doing it.
Miami’s ABC 10 reports that Florida Highway Patrol have been dealing with more and more violations involving customized plates. These plates are more than just custom digits you can pick up at the DMV; the whole plate itself is being modified. As Florida Highway Patrol pointed out, it’s a violation of the state’s vehicle laws.
At a recent exotic car show at Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, altered license plates stood out as much as the high-end vehicles themselves—personalized, stylish, and undeniably unique, but illegal.
“We are trying to stop the current trend that we are seeing,” said Lt. Alex Camacho of the FHP.
Florida law prohibits altering state-issued license plates in any way, including changing colors, airbrushing designs, or applying vinyl wraps. The reflective coating is essential for readability and safety, according to Camacho.
“If you put this tag on your car, we are going to seize that tag. You are going to get your vehicle towed and get an infraction for it,” warned Camacho. “It’s bigger than people saying it’s not a big deal.
The problem is a huge deal in South Florida. Citations there have surged 98 percent; authorities say of the 893 citations issued across the state in 2024, 78 percent (702) were issued in the South Florida counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
Complicating things are businesses that exist solely to customize license plates. One of the bigger names in the business is called Platemakrs, which is doing some of the most extreme license plate designs I’ve ever seen. Want an airbrushed plate in purple that reads “HELLYEA” with an image of Dodge’s Hellcat logo? This is the place for you. They’ll even do plates for other states. Unfortunately they’re helping contribute to the illegal activity. ABC 10 reached out to Platemakrs and got no response so they tried to confront someone coming out of the business.
Earlier this week, Local 10 News Investigator Jeff Weinsier confronted someone outside the business.
“I wanted to talk to you guys about Platemakrs?” Weiniser asked a man getting out of a car that has been parked outside the business several days.
“Who is you guys?” the man asked Weinsier.
“Platemakrs,” Weinsier replied.
“I have nothing to do with that,” the man claimed.”
The man did have something to do with it. ABC 10 found out the man’s name is John Georgetti. State records show that Georgetti is one of Platemakrs’ owners. He also has customized plates of his own as ABC 10 observed one on the back of his Ferrari. Court records also show that he was ticketed for the plate earlier this year.
As a reminder, Florida only allows specific, state-sanctioned customized plates available only through the DMV. And when I say specific, I mean things that range from corny like “Golf Capital Of The World” with an image of a golfer in mid swing to things that border on political like “Support Law Enforcement” or “Choose Life.” You’ll get about as far as sovereign citizens if you try to jazz up your places any more.