Specialty ‘Florida Stands With Israel’ license plate revealed after public design contest

Over 100 designs were submitted, including those created in crayon by school children and highly-technical designs made by professional artists.

By Shiryn Ghermezian, Algemeiner

The design for a new specialty license plate in Florida that shows solidarity with Israel has been selected following a public contest and will soon go into production, it was announced this month.

The victor was graphic designer Daniel Ackerman from Boca Raton, Florida. His artwork won the free public design contest for the “Florida Stands with Israel” specialty license plate, a competition sponsored by the Israeli-American Council (IAC) and coordinated by the co-sponsor organization Artists 4 Israel.

Over 100 designs were submitted, including those created in crayon by school children and highly-technical designs made by professional artists.

The specialty license plate will go into production once 3,000 have been pre-sold and a portion of the sales will benefit Hatzalah of Miami-Dade.

Ackerman explained his design, saying, “The concept focuses on Florida’s state flower — the orange blossom. The beauty of this flower contrasted against the Star of David in the form of a tropical leaf, represents the Florida-Israel relationship and the fruit this partnership bears, ultimately benefiting both states. The symbol interacts with the two waves on top and bottom giving nod to the Israeli flag, Florida’s sandy tourist destinations, and Israel’s deserts in bloom.”

“The community came together to participate in this design contest, to celebrate the Florida-Israel relationship and to demonstrate their pride in their Israeli heritage. Thank you to everyone who contributed designs, and congratulations, Daniel Ackerman, on your winning design,” said Israeli-American Council Cofounder and CEO Shoham Nicolet and IAC Board Member and IAC for Action Board Chairman Shawn Evenhaim in a released statement.

They added: “The Florida-Israel relationship is a special one that ranges from trade to culture and contributes to quality of life for all Floridians. The two countries share many ties, including bilateral trade, common values, and leadership in cutting edge fields. Florida has been a leader over the years in the fight against anti-Jewish hatred and discrimination, and we sincerely appreciate this meaningful expression of solidarity.”

On Sept. 18, the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1135, authorizing the creation of the “Florida Stands with Israel” specialty auto tag.

HB 1135 was passed by both the Florida House and Senate unanimously. The specialty tag included in HB 1135 was originally submitted to the House in a separate bill.

The panel of judges for the 45-day contest consisted of the lead legislative sponsors of the bill — Sen. Aaron Bean, Sen. Lauren Book, Rep. JW Grant, Florida House Minority Leader Kionne McGhee and Rep. Scott Plakon — as well as Bal Harbour Mayor and community leader Gabe Groisman.