What is Florida Loves Horses?

This site is dedicated to the “Florida Loves Horses” specialty license plate program. The "Florida Loves Horses" specialty license plate will improve public safety by funding programs involved in the rehabilitation of Florida’s at-risk youth.  Funds generated through the sale of this specialty plate are governed by the Panama City Marine Institute Foundation Board and are distributed to programs using horses, other livestock, the marine and wilderness environment in their efforts to provide educational and counseling services for Florida’s at-risk boys and girls.

 The Panama City Marine Institute (PCMI) is an affiliate of the Associated Marines Institute, Inc.
AMI had its beginnings at Florida Ocean Sciences Institute (FOSI) in 1969, as a spin-off from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Its first four years were spent engaged in a variety of oceanographic research projects. The staff consisted primarily of scientists, technicians and divers. Then in 1969, through the combined efforts of FOSI President, Robert A. Rosof, and a juvenile court judge named Frank Orlando, several troubled boys were brought into the Institute to work on the research projects. The positive changes which occurred while the youth were there brought about the idea of a permanent program to serve these kinds of kids. FOSI gradually evolved from a research lab into a youth services program.  The programs have expanded into twenty seven locations across our state and utilize a variety of approaches to capture the interest and imagination of the youth in their care.

By signing unto the form for the tag, you have made an important step in assisting us with the goals of creating a specialty license tag dedicated to improving public safety through innovative programming and services for at-risk youth and their families.
“ By supporting this effort, you support our kids”

Signing the form does not commit you to purchasing a tag, but it does allows us to gauge interest in our specialty tag so that we can proceed through the legislature to make this tag available for Florida drivers. To learn more about the Panama City Marine Institute and affiliated programs please go to: www.pcmi-fl.org