Parrot heads everywhere were devastated when Jimmy Buffett passed away on September 1 last year, but his home state and the place that inspired his whole vibe is commemorating him in a few very special ways. In what’s likely the best legislation ever signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Floridians will be able to honor their state’s musical legend Jimmy Buffett with a special Margaritaville license plate design. To further pay respect to his cultural contributions, August 30 was declared Jimmy Buffett Day, and Florida State Road A1A was also renamed the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. Buffett’s contributions to the world are undeniable, but choosing to put the name of his song about alcohol on license plates seems very on-brand for Florida.
Starting October 1, Floridians will be able to order Margaritaville license plates to display their parrot-headedness, and proceeds from the plates will contribute to Buffett’s charity, the Singing for Change Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofit organizations that help communities recover from natural or manmade disasters. I’m a fan of Buffett’s style of “island escapism” and promotion of being a beach bum, as well as a fan of fun license plate designs. I also love the idea of a Margaritaville plate, but can’t help but feel that the government ought to be skeptical about promoting an alcoholic beverage, or at least a song about one, on a license plate. Florida’s gonna Florida, I guess.
The Sunshine State also changed the name of State Road A1A that runs the entire length of Florida’s east coast from the Georgia border down to Key West to the A1A Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway last week. The commemoration occurred on August 30, a date also declared as Jimmy Buffett Day by the Florida State Legislature. Buffett released an album named A1A after this state road in 1974, which legend says was the road that he drove down to move to Key West at the age of 25, changing his life forever.
Specialty plates in the state of Florida must reach 3,000 pre-sales before they can go into production, and must maintain that number after a year, and the Margaritaville plate is no different. All that’s stopping Floridians from showing their parrot head pride is a few thousand license plate orders. The plate itself features a beachscape with palm trees, the back of an empty beach chair, and a seaplane in the water. Until those pre-sale numbers are met, Floridians will be searching for their lost shaker of salt. (Salt, salt, salt.)