Florida

Brickbat: Unshine State

Charles Oliver | 3.17.2026 4:00 AM

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(Illustration: Jakub Rutkiewicz/Wirestock/Dreamstime)

A police officer in Davie, Florida, arrested Demarquize Dawson because the frame around his rental car's license plate covered the first "S" in the words "Sunshine State." Dawson spent the night in jail and later went to the hospital after suffering a panic attack during the incident. However, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles later clarified that license plate frames are legal as long as the numbers, letters, and registration sticker can still be clearly seen and officers can identify the state. Because of that clarification, officials said Dawson's plate did not actually violate the law. The Davie Police Department claimed the law's wording was unclear but admitted the arrest should not have happened, issuing a public apology.

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Charles Oliver is a contributing editor at Reason.

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