MIAMI - Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett was affectionally known for his laidback, tropical infused music, including his hit 1977 song Margaritaville, across the United States and South Florida for over 50 years.
But fans of the singer will need to get going if they want to honor the music legend with a special "Margaritaville" license plate in the state.
According to the Department of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Margaritaville specialty license plate has 2,199 pre-sale vouchers. The state prerequisite for a plate to be printed and manufactured is 3,000 pre-sale vouchers.
Specialty plate annual fees in Florida cost between $15 and $25. Proceeds from the sales of the license plates will go to Singing for Change, a charity founded by Buffett in 1995.
The tribute was made possible after the state passed HB 403 last year. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Linda Chaney (R-St. Pete Beach) and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June 2024.
Jimmy Buffett died at the age of 76 in September 2023 from Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. Earlier that year, Buffett performed four concerts in Key West, a backdrop of many of his hit songs, with his Coral Reef Band in his final performances on the island.
Along with Margaritaville, which became a chart-topping hit played to this day, Buffett wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise", "Come Monday", "A Pirate Looks at Forty", and "He Went to Paris."
Another popular song, "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", was performed by Buffett and country singer-songwriter Alan Jackson in 2003.
