front license plates

The front license plate is not required in Florida. Should I use it
or not, once I get the new plates?

It could help ID the car if ever stolen.

"Tim923" > wrote in message
...
> The front license plate is not required in Florida. Should I use it
> or not, once I get the new plates?
>
> It could help ID the car if ever stolen.

If it's not required, don't put it on the exterior of the vehicle at all. I
recently had my license plates stolen (front and back). If you are worried
about theft at all, worry about the plate getting stolen. If the CAR is
stolen, the plates will be removed from it immediately and replaced with
other stolen plates, unless the car is immediately stripped to be sold for
parts. So the front plate won't help ID the car if it's stolen, but the
plate itself is a tempting target for criminals. -Dave

On Thu, 2 Jun 2005, Tim923 wrote:

> The front license plate is not required in Florida. Should I use it or
> not, once I get the new plates?

That depends. If you want to reduce your chances of being pulled for
speeding, leave it off. If you frequently drive in other states where
front plates are required and want to reduce your chances of being
hassled, put it on.

> It could help ID the car if ever stolen.

No, it couldn't.

I've driven a lot of cars for a lot of miles and have never had the
plates let alone a car stolen. If the thief steals the back plate, the
front one won't be of any value because you will presumably report the
rear one as stolen. Nor will it help id the car, since the police and
the DMV can look that number quickly should you forget it.

Since some states require front and rear and Florida apparenty provides
two plates, I would put them both on and not worry about it.

On 2 Jun 2005 11:29:26 -0700, John S. , said the following in
rec.autos.driving...

> Since some states require front and rear and Florida apparenty provides
> two plates, I would put them both on and not worry about it.

No they don't. Florida - like most states in the south - only requires one plate.

According to Tim both plates are provided although only one is
required. The only reason I can see to leave it off is if the car is
too low to the ground to allow the plate to pass over parking stops.

On 2 Jun 2005 12:00:13 -0700, John S. , said the following in
rec.autos.driving...

> According to Tim both plates are provided although only one is
> required. The only reason I can see to leave it off is if the car is
> too low to the ground to allow the plate to pass over parking stops.

From the Escambia County tax collector's office:

"The license plate is displayed on the rear of the vehicle with the
exception of certain commercial vehicles. The plate is issued to the
owner for five years. The owner will receive a new plate (with new
numbers and letters) during the fifth year."

Ref: http://tinyurl.com/c2rfw

Next time I talk to my brother in Orlando, I'll ask him if they gave him
two plates for his car...

On 2 Jun 2005 12:00:13 -0700, "John S." > wrote:

>According to Tim both plates are provided although only one is
>required. The only reason I can see to leave it off is if the car is
>too low to the ground to allow the plate to pass over parking stops.

I can think of another reason which may or may not apply to Tim's car.

It looks ugly.

Tim923 wrote:
> The front license plate is not required in Florida. Should I use it
> or not, once I get the new plates?

For me, it would depend on the car. Many cars look ugly with a front
plate, and I'd leave it off. But if it's just a regular old dumpy SUV,
what difference would it really make?

--
Bob

Paul wrote:
>Next time I talk to my brother in Orlando, I'll ask him if they gave him
>two plates for his car...

I am unsure if Florida gives 2 plates, but I see lots of cars with
only the rear plate used here in Brevard County.