Florida Gov. DeSantis signs off on Jimmy Buffett highway, new license plates. Here’s what to expect

Politics

Gov. Ron DeSantis (WJXT)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed four more bills into law, covering issues like highway designations and license plates.

One of the new bills will establish a Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway along State Road A1A on Florida’s east coast, and another is introducing a new slew of specialty license plates for drivers.

The other two bills deal with new highway designations and changes to the state’s rules for sovereign immunity. Both of those bills will go into effect on July 1, alongside around 180 others. For a full list of those laws, click here.

Meanwhile, DeSantis vetoed another bill — SB 280 — which would have revised the state’s regulation of vacation rentals.

In his veto letter, DeSantis said that the bill would have overly encroached on the powers of local governments.

“Beyond creating bureaucratic red tape that locals must comply with, CS/SB 280 prevents local governments from enforcing existing ordinances or passing any new local measure which would exclusively apply to vacation rentals. Under this bill, any such measure must apply to all residential properties. The effect of this provision will prevent virtually all local regulation of vacation rentals even though the vacation rental markets are far from uniform across the various regions of the state.

Going forward, I encourage the Florida Legislature and all key stakeholders to work together, with the understanding that vacation rentals should not be approached as a one-size-fits-all issue.”

Ron DeSantis, SB 280 Veto Letter

The four bills signed on Thursday are as follows:

HB 91 — Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway

House Bill 91 aims to designate portions of State Road A1A as the “Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway.”

Under this law, the highway designation will stretch through the following counties:

The Florida Department of Transportation will be required to set up markers for the highway by Aug. 30.

The law took effect upon being signed.

HB 389 — Highway Designations

House Bill 389 creates 17 designations for various transportation facilities across the state at the following locations:

Location	Designation	Reason
Portion of I-75 between US-17/Duncan Road and Harbor View Road	Deputy Sheriff Christopher Taylor Memorial Highway	Taylor was struck by a drunk driver while conducting a traffic stop in November 2022.
Portion of US-19 between Palm View Road and Terra Ceia Road in Manatee County	Army Specialist Nicholas Panipinto Memorial Highway	Panipinto died during training in Seoul, South Korea in November 2019.
Mid-block crossing on the portion of East University Avenue/SR-26 between NE 26th Terr. and SE 26th Terr. in Alachua County	Dylan Roberts Memorial Crosswalk	Roberts, 4, was struck by a car while crossing University Avenue in October 2021.
Portions of Gandy Bridge on US-92 in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties	AWF3 Mohammed “Mo” Haitham Memorial Way	Haitham was fatally struck by an active shooter at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola in December 2019.
Portion of SR-434 between SR-400 and Ronald Reagan Blvd. in Seminole County	Deputy Sheriff George Pfeil Memorial Highway	Pfeil was shot and killed when he interrupted an armed robbery at a pharmacy in 1977.
Portion of US 17-92 between 1st Street and 25th Street in Seminole County	Deputy Sheriff Robert Moore Memorial Highway	Moore died of smoke inhalation while rescuing inmates during a fire at the local jail in 1975.
Portion of CR-419 between Snow Hill Road and the Orange County line in Seminole County	Deputy Sheriff James Cleveland Jacobs Memorial Highway	Jacobs was shot and killed while trying to arrest a man for theft in 1922.
Portion of Bay Avenue between W. 25th Street and W. 27th Street in Sunset Islands in Miami-Dade County	Abe Resnick Drive	Resnick was a Holocaust survivor and the first Hispanic city commissioner in Miami Beach.
Portion of SW 168th Street between US-1 and SW 89th Ave. in Miami-Dade County	Pastor Rick Blackwood Street	Rev. Blackwood served as lead pastor of the Christ Fellowship Church for 23 years.
Portion of SR-16 between CR-225 and Rifle Range Road in Clay County	Gus Kopelousos Memorial Highway	Kopelousos was raised by Greek immigrant parents, taking over the family’s “Garden Restaurant” before his death in 2023.
Portion of SR-997/Krome Ave./W. 177th Ave. between SW 8th Street and the entrance to the Miccosukee Casino in Miami-Dade County	MICCO WAY	Miccosukee Indians were originally part of the Creek Nation before migrating to the land that would become Florida.
Portion of SR-59 between US-90 and US-27 in Leon and Jefferson counties	Major John Leroy Haynes Memorial Highway	Haynes was a longtime member of the U.S. Marine Corps with numerous achievements before his death in 2023.
Portion of I-10 between the Alabama state line and I-75	Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway	Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Portion of SR-570/Polk Parkway between MM 3.5 and MM 2.5 in Polk County	Randy Roberts Memorial Highway	Roberts served as the Director of Government Affairs for Public Supermarkets before his death in 2009.
Portion of SR-35/George Jenkins Blvd. between Kathleen Road and N. Sloan Ave. in Polk County	Carol Jenkins Barnett Memorial Highway	Barnett was the daughter of George Jenkins, the founder of Publix Supermarkets.
Portion of I-95 between MM 115 and MM 120 in St. Lucie County	Trooper Zachary Fink Memorial Highway	Fink was killed while trying to stop a reckless drive on I-95 in February 2024.
The new SR-A1A N. Causeway Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Lucie County (upon completion)	E.C. Summerlin Family Bridge	The Summerlin family has had connections to Florida since 1770, when members first came from England and Scotland.