If you’re a motorist who has requested a personalized license plate with suggestive language, you probably weren't surprised when your request was denied.
But for the person who requested "G8R-H8RZ," that might be more of a gray area.
Every year, state officials receive thousands of requests for vanity license plates, some of which don’t make the cut.
The plates rejected by officials range from hilarious to vulgar to just plain weird. Among the vanity tags in the list reviewed by The Palm Beach Post: "BUZKIL," which translates to "buzzkill;" "I H8 FL," or "I hate Florida;" "IHA8MYX," or "I hate my ex;" and "SUXX2BU," or "sucks to be you."
Requested vanity plates have to go through a few steps before they can be approved or rejected.
Any personalized orders are checked for "obscene or objectionable material" by either county or state staff. The application also makes its way through the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Inventory Control Unit.
The state then has a monthly meeting of its Personalized License Plate Review Board -- yes, that exists -- where each plate is reviewed and board members vote to allow, reject or recall the plate. After the board makes its recommendations, the state director or deputy director of motorist services makes the final call.
In addition to staff review, people can call the state to complain if they see a license plate that might be questionable.
That was the case with several of the rejected plates in the documents that the Post reviewed, including the plate "KP HATIN," or "keep hating."
Some plates are initially approved by the board, but then overturned by the final authority, as was the case with the plates “G8R-H8RZ,” or "Gator haters," and “IM NASTY,” or "I’m nasty."
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