Florida drivers are upset after a new state law made stricter rules about license plate accessories. The law started on October 1 and warns of fines, jail time, or both. Many people worried that their decorative frames would suddenly become illegal.
According to The Daily Dot, however, the law does not ban every frame. It only targets items that block plate numbers or stickers. Still, people on social media panicked and started removing their frames anyway.
Many Florida residents have personalized plates with frames showing their favorite things, jokes, or places they visited. Car dealers also give buyers frames with their brand names. The new law made people wonder if decorative borders could now get them pulled over. The answer depends on how much of the license plate the frame covers.
The real problem is what the law could enable
A frame stays legal if it does not block letters, numbers, or the yellow registration sticker. The law mainly focuses on tinted covers and devices that flip or hide plates. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office posted on X that Florida Statute 320.061 creates new penalties for anyone who alters, blocks, sells, or uses devices to cover their license plate. What used to be a traffic ticket can now result in criminal charges up to a second-degree misdemeanor.
The law bans anything that interferes with the readability, visibility, or detection of main features like the plate number or registration sticker. Critics worry about unfair enforcement. Some fear the rule could be used as an excuse to pull over people of color more often. This is not the first time Florida has found itself in the spotlight for questionable priorities, leaving residents scratching their heads.
𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬.
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) October 5, 2025
Illegal license plates aren’t a hack. They’re a charge.
People are tinting, covering, or even altering their license plates to dodge tolls, red-light cameras, and our officers. Some even buy… pic.twitter.com/dDCZwZjkBm
TikTok now has many videos of Florida residents removing frames and complaining. User @ashsleighs_ filmed herself in her car at work, speaking sarcastically. “Yay! Thank you so much, Ron DeSantis. You really are saving Florida,” she said. “My Hello Kitty, pink, girly Sanrio, amazing license plate had to be taken off. Or I can get a class 2 misdemeanor. Yeah, you’re making Florida so much safer.”
Another user shared similar frustration, writing: “According to Ron DeSantis, my cinnamaroll license plate cover is more of a threat than someone openly carrying around an AK-47.”
One person suggested the law gives police a reason to pull over people they want to profile without a real legal reason. Others told people to stay calm and explained that confusion caused the panic. Florida residents have had their share of bizarre run-ins with law enforcement, showing this type of tension is nothing new. One commenter said it will depend on the officer and their mood that day.
