HISTORY


The Florida Wildflower Foundation Advisory Council represents a cooperative collective of 10 organizations that came together in 1996 to find a revenue stream for the advancement of native plant and flower research in Florida. Led by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC), the 10 organizations joined together to meet requirements for the Florida Legislature's approval of a State Wildflower Specialty License Plate.

The chief objectives for plate proceeds were to establish a Florida native wildflower research center and to increase wider plantings of wildflowers in all public spaces. Realizing that broader cooperative efforts could bring better results, the coalition's proposed legislation and license-plate design were passed by the Florida Legislature in June 1999 to create the Florida Wildflower Specialty License Plate. The design was later adopted at a meeting of the Florida Cabinet in January 2000. Sales of the initial license plates began in May 2000. See the original legislation.

The other member organizations working with the FFGC in the cooperative efforts to advance the research and plantings of native wildflowers included the Department of Transportation (FDOT), Keep Florida Beautiful, Inc,; the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lt. Governor's Office; the University of Floridia, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; Think Beauty Foundation; the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; the Florida League of Cities; and the Florida Association of Counties. Approval of the license plate required the coalition to submit 12,000 signatures of Florida residents who supported the proposal, a support check of $30,000 from FDOT, proposed legislative language for the bill to create the license plate and the handling of proceeds and expenditures, and a proposed license-plate design. See license-plate design.

The idea to create a native plant and flower research center blossomed into a vision and then found a voice and voices more than 20 years ago. The idea of a center evolved from conversations for years about how to expand public education about the value and benefits of native plants and wildflowers. Such a research center could meet the major challenge of expanding the use of native plants by learning what flourishes and under what conditions in Florida's distinctive landscapes. Creating a revenue stream such as the Florida Wildflower license plate has provided the financial fertilizer that has helped implement some terrific ideas from very knowledgeable people.

As a result, since 2003 when the first project grants were awarded, native-plant propagation, education and research have increased significantly in Florida. In 2005, the Florida Wildflower Foundation Advisory Council exceeded the one-million-dollar mark in total grants that have been awarded. Today, grant support has reached more than $1.3 million. Proceeds provide an estimated $275,000 annually for grants. Sales of the Florida Wildflower license plate annually rank in the Top 25 of more than 100 such specialty plates sold by the state through its Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles