Front Plate Required: No
Area Codes: 239, 305, 321, 352, 386, 407, 561, 689, 727, 754, 772, 786, 813, 850, 863, 904, 927, 941, 954
License Plates:
Windshield Stickers:
Road and Highway Signs:
County Roads:
Highways:
Highway Adoption:
Historical:
The standard license plate has an orange splotch in the middle, very similar to those in neighboring Georgia. The blue turtle and orange dolphin designs are also somewhat popular, even though they aren't the standard.
The stereotypical Florida is palm trees and beaches, but in reality, Florida is dominated by loblolly pine forests and sandy soil. Bollard usage isn't consistent across the southeast, but Florida and Louisiana are the only southeast states that mark drainage with a yellow bollard. However, vehicles registered in Louisiana have windshield stickers, while those registered in Florida do not.
Loblolly pines
Yellow bollard marking drainage
Northern Florida shifts abruptly from the pine forests of southern Georgia to the swampy mix of palmettos, cabbage palms, and oaks with spanish moss. In general, north Florida has much more open area and farmland than southern Georgia, and has an unusually high concentration of horse trailers. I-10 runs east to west from Jacksonville through Pensacola, so any sign in florida indicating I-10 nearby is in the north. The entire panhandle is covered by the area code 850, from the western border to just east of Tallahassee.
Cabbage palms and oaks
850 Area Code
Florida's capital has relatively good bicycle infrastructure marked by green stripes. Downtown, traffic signals are horizontal and many have a yellow border. Outside the city and in nearby suburbs, street signs have a thick white border and stop signs have a yellow sticker and a red reflector on the post.
Bike lane and horizontal traffic signal
Street sign layout and yellow sticker
Red reflector on stop sign post
Central Florida runs from Jacksonville down to Orlando and Tampa. Endless suburban mazes run down the eastern coast, but the middle is largely flat farmland. With the exception of Tallahassee, all of Florida's street signs with symbols are found in central Florida. Many of these counties also run penny sales tax campaigns, marking relevant roads under construction with a green sign and image of a penny.
Suburban maze
Central farmlands
Penny Tax road sign
In Gainesville, street signs list a cardinal direction, then street number, then suffix. If the road has a common or coloquial name, it may be listed at the bottom, but the street number takes priority. This holds true even in suburbs and R1 communities.
Gainesville street sign
Black parking meters
Marion County is in the space between Gainesville and Orlando, centered around Ocala. Many roads covered here are unpaved sand paths, but the entire county is laid out in a grid pattern with an identifyable street sign font and format.
Marion County street sign
Marion County roads
Tampa and St. Petersburg are on opposite sides of Tampa Bay. Street signs in both cities tend to have small numbers in either one or both bottom corners. If the street sign has a cardinal direction, you can tell which side of the bay you are on based on which side of the sign it's on. If the cardinal direction is placed left of the number, you're on the right side of the bay. If the cardinal direction is placed right of the number, you're on the left side of the bay.
Small numbers in lower corners
Letter on the left, Tampa
Letter on the right, St. Petersburg
Most of the sub-towns that make up the Orlando metro area have a unique city symbol they post on street signs. Check the City Symbols page for more information.
Orlando symbol
Alternative Orlando symbol
Southern Florida looks like the stereotypical tropical vista usually associated with this state. Inland is still grasslands and farms, but cabbage palms are more dominant than pines. Panther Crossing signs and Night Speed Limit signs can both be found near the Everglades.
Night Speed Limit
Panther Crossing sign
Residential areas near Miami have white marks on the street signs and are generally laid out in grids. Many road signs in Miami have diamond stickers of various colors, depending on coverage year.
White marks on street signs
Diamond stickers behind signs
Palm tree symbol on trash bins
Interstates in Florida can vary from county to county, but there are certain features you can look for. Drainage marked with yellow bollards and offramps lined with white bollards are common, but not required in Florida. Though inconsistent, most river crossings are marked in green.
Yellow bollards marking drainage
White bollards on offramps
River crossing sign
Mile markers on I-75 will have an interstate shield and those on Florida's Turnpike have its logo, but other mile markers just list the distance. Many offramps have a notice about the local litter law, especially closer to the larger cities.
I-75 mile marker
Florida's Turnpike mile marker
Litter law sign
Florida uses several different toll passes. LeeWay is just for the Fort Myers area and E-Pass is just for the Orlando area. Sun Pass is used state-wide in Florida, but also appears rarely in Georgia and North Carolina. When it does appear outside the state, it will be one of many accepted passes, and it won't be at the top of the list.
Lee Way and Sun Pass
E-Pass
Louisiana and South Dakota also marks drainage with a yellow bollard. Windshield stickers on vehicles registered in Louisiana can help you decide which state you are in.
Both Georgia and Florida have standard white plates with an orange splotch in the middle. The letters on a Florida plate give it more of a green hue, while the Georgia plate looks more white or grey.
Florida
Parts of Florida can look similar to southern California with the coastal palm trees and general architecture. Mountains in southern California can tell you you're not in Florida since the highest terrain they have is sand dunes. Both states have white-ish plates, but California requires fronts while Florida does not.
Florida
Thanks to 5ummr for the city symbol submissions and for fact-checking the Florida page.