1.21.15 This story has been updated with more information about the driver who issued the complaint, and a statement from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph is fielding complaints from local auto dealerships because a driver protested after being issued a license plate that starts with the letters “GAY.”
“These plates have been vetted by the state and we see no issue with them either,” Randolph said in a statement to the media. “Nonetheless we’ve made it clear that if a customer is unhappy they can exchange their plate at our offices.”
Randolph told Watermark that he doesn’t know how many of the “GAY” license plates have been issued because they’re delivered directly to an agent who processes dealer plates. He said the complaint stemmed from a customer who purchased his car from a Volvo dealership and now, other dealers have complained to the tax collector’s office.
According to WFTV, the person who filed the original complaint is Craig Lukas, who happens to be gay and told Channel 9 he and his partner, “We just prefer to remain quiet.”
WFTV reports the Volvo dealership that issued the plate to Lukas is located in Winter Park, which tried to give Lukas a different plate, but then found out they all started with “GAY.” The dealership has returned the license plates to the county.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in a statement to the media, says the plates issued in the Orlando area range from “GAYA01” to “GAYW35.”
“It’s unfortunate that people here in Orange County would still have such a negative reaction to the word ‘gay,'” Randolph says. “But, good grief, I couldn’t tell you what my license plate number is, so the fact that it bothers some people so much is sad.”
Randolph says the situation is unusual; people don’t often complain to his office about the copy on their license plates.
