Florida Woman's New License Plate Accidentally Became the Talk of Her Retirement Community

July 16, 2026

What started as a routine trip to renew her vehicle registration turned into an unexpected comedy show for one Florida woman after the license plate she received appeared to spell out something far more entertaining than anyone intended.

Nancy Dello Stritto of Pompano Beach recently opened her registration renewal and discovered her newly issued plate: SQZ A55.

Nancy Dello Stritto / CBS Miami

At first glance, it looks like just another random combination of letters and numbers. But from a few steps back, the two number fives can easily be mistaken for the letter S, making the plate appear to spell a rather cheeky phrase.

Nancy, who is getting ready to celebrate her 77th birthday, said she immediately did a double take when she saw it in her mailbox.

Her accidental vanity plate quickly became the talk of her retirement community, where neighbors found plenty of humor in the unexpected combination.

With millions of license plate combinations in circulation, these kinds of accidental messages occasionally slip through. While the sequence is completely random, some numbers can resemble letters, creating words or phrases that no one intended.

Nancy's first reaction was anything but laughter.

"I went ballistic," she told CBS Miami. "I said 'I can't even believe this could pass through inspection'."

But after the initial shock wore off, her frustration gave way to amusement. Rather than asking for a replacement, she decided to embrace the joke and keep the plate.

She even found a way to laugh at herself.

"Actually, being over 70, I might like a few honks," she joked.