The Tampa Bay Estuary Program - A Partnership for a Healthy Bay

Buy A Tampa Bay Estuary License Plate

» Specialty License Tag Gift Certificates Now Available!

Show your support for Tampa Bay by purchasing a Tampa Bay Estuary specialty license plate, available at tax collector offices through the Bay Area.

Reel In A Tarpon Tag and Help Keep Tampa Bay On the Road To Recovery!

Tampa Bay License Plate

When you purchase a Tampa Bay Estuary license plate, you are helping to restore one of Florida's crown jewels.

Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, home to an incomparable variety of fish and wildlife, a rich tapestry of habitats from seagrass meadows to salt marshes, and nearly 3 million people who benefit economically and aesthetically from the bay's bounty.

Whether you are an avid fisherman in search of feisty snook or redfish, a kayaker who enjoys paddling through a maze of mangroves, or simply a landlubber who appreciates the fiery reflection of a sunset over the water, you can help support bay restoration efforts by purchasing a Tampa Bay Estuary license tag.

Revenues from the tag are returned to the community in the form of grants to citizen groups, schools and non-profit organizations. Projects funded through this program must be directly linked to the goals of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. Eligible projects include habitat restoration, pollution prevention and environmental education initiatives.

Thanks to you, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program has been able to award more than $1.1 million in community grants since 1999 -- the first year the license tag was available.


How to Get The "Tarpon Tag" Online

» Click here to purchase or renew your plate online.

You will need the PIN number that accompanies your vehicle registration renewal notice or your vehicle tag number to complete this online transaction.

In Person

You can purchase a Tampa Bay Estuary Plate at any Florida Tax Collector office or tag agency. For office locations, visit http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/taxcollectors.html

By Mail At Renewal Time

To order your tag at your regular tag renewal time, click here to download a PDF of the Tampa Bay Estuary license plate renewal form and mail it to your Tax Collector or tax agency with your renewal notice and the correct tag fee.

By Mail Anytime

You don't have to wait until your regular tag renewal time to get your Tampa Bay Estuary plate. Click here to download a PDF of the license plate replacement form and mail it to your county tax collector with the correct tag fee.

How The License Tag Helps Tampa Bay

From 2005-2010, the Bay Mini-Grant program awarded an impressive $750,000 in grants to more than 135 organizations, including 55 non-profit organizations, 27 neighborhood or civic associations, 12 public schools, 13 private schools and 28 local government departments. The Bay Mini-Grant Program represents regional partnership at its best and has substantially enhanced the area's environmental education and restoration initiatives.

Projects currently or recently funded with license tag revenues include:

  • A partnership between scientists and a neighborhood association in Manatee County to release and monitor the survival of bay scallops in lower Tampa Bay.

  • Creation of a digital Boating and Angling Guide to Tampa Bay that allows bay users to learn about boat ramps, fishing piers, paddling trails, speed zones and protected areas online.

  • Restoration of suitable habitat for the rare Florida scrub jay at Little Manatee River State Park.

  • Installation of signs and pet waste bag stations at five popular dog parks in Pinellas County, and in three city parks in South Pasadena, to encourage proper disposal of pet waste.

  • Surveys of rare migratory birds, such as scissor-tailed flycatchers, that utilize restored habitats in the Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve in southern Hillsborough County.

  • Teacher workshops provided to teachers in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties to bring climate change education into the classrooms.

  • Shoreline restoration project to remove invasive plants and re-plant with native plants on an island in Manatee County

  • Construction of a bat house with the capacity to hold up to 40,000 bats at a local Botanical Garden.

  • Creation of a gravel nesting area for endangered least terns on the roof of Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center.

Reel In Your Tarpon Tag Now!

The Tampa Bay Estuary license tag costs $27 the first year and $17 per year after that, with $15 going directly to bay improvement projects.

To learn more about Florida's wildlife and conservation specialty tags, including the Tampa Bay Estuary tag, visit http://buyaplate.com

Thank you for your support!


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