(1) An organization that seeks authorization to establish a new specialty license plate for which an annual use fee is to be charged must submit to the department:

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   (a) A request for the particular specialty license plate being sought, describing the proposed specialty license plate in specific terms, including a sample plate that conforms to the specifications set by the department and this chapter, and that is in substantially final form.

   (b) An application fee, not to exceed $60,000, to defray the department’s cost for reviewing the application and developing the specialty license plate, if authorized. State funds may not be used to pay the application fee, except for collegiate specialty license plates authorized in s. 320.08058(3) and (13). All applications requested on or after the effective date of this act must meet the requirements of this act.

   (c) A marketing strategy outlining short-term and long-term marketing plans for the requested specialty license plate and a financial analysis outlining the anticipated revenues and the planned expenditures of the revenues to be derived from the sale of the requested specialty license plates.

The information required under this subsection must be submitted to the department at least 90 days before the convening of the next regular session of the Legislature.

   (2) If the specialty license plate requested by the organization is approved by law, the organization must submit the proposed art design for the specialty license plate to the department, in a medium prescribed by the department, as soon as practicable, but no later than 60 days after the act approving the specialty license plate becomes a law. If the specialty license plate requested by the organization is not approved by the Legislature or does not meet the presale requirements in subsection (3), the application fee shall be refunded to the requesting organization.

   (3)(a) Within 120 days following the specialty license plate becoming law, the department shall establish a method to issue a specialty license plate voucher to allow for the presale of the specialty license plate. The processing fee as prescribed in s. 320.08056, the service charge and branch fee as prescribed in s. 320.04, and the annual use fee as prescribed in s. 320.08056 shall be charged for the voucher. All other applicable fees shall be charged at the time of issuance of the license plates.

   (b) Within 24 months after the presale specialty license plate voucher is established, the approved specialty license plate organization must record with the department a minimum of 1,000 voucher sales before manufacture of the license plate may commence. If, at the conclusion of the 24-month presale period, the minimum sales requirements have not been met, the specialty plate is deauthorized and the department shall discontinue development of the plate and discontinue issuance of the presale vouchers. Upon deauthorization of the license plate, a purchaser of the license plate voucher may use the annual use fee collected as a credit towards any other specialty license plate or apply for a refund on a form prescribed by the department.

   (c) An organization that meets the requirements of this subsection shall be deemed to have submitted a valid survey for purposes of s. 45, chapter 2008-176, Laws of Florida, as amended.

s. 1, ch. 95-282; s. 1, ch. 98-414; s. 3, ch. 2004-337;