As Miami targets lighted ad signs for parks, bigger signs sought elsewhere
Miami city commissioners today (10/13) are prepared to give final approval to a measure that will allow outdoor advertising signs in three of its premiere parks, while one of the commissioners has introduced a much more aggressive proposal that would allow digital advertising signs on city-owned properties.
On today’s agenda are two related items: The second and final reading of an amendment to the city’s sign ordinance to allow outdoor advertising signs in three bayfront parks; the first reading of an amendment to the sign ordinance allowing larger outdoor digital advertising signs at numerous city-owned properties.
The first amendment was put together and sponsored by Commissioner Joe Carollo. The newest amendment up for first reading comes from Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla.
Mr. Carollo’s amendment allows outdoor advertising signs at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd.; Maurice A. Ferré Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd.; and Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, 4020 Virginia Beach Drive.
The original proposed language listed only Bayfront and Ferré parks.
The proposal was amended to add Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, along with wording to clarify they are not free-standing signs but they are monument signs pursuant to the Miami 21 zoning code.
The code limits the size of monument signs to 20 by 20 feet, or 400 square feet.
Commission Chair Christine King asked that Virginia Key Beach Park Trust be added.
Mr. Carollo is chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust, which manages both Bayfront and Ferré Park.
His amendment passed unanimously on first reading Sept. 22.
Mr. Diaz de la Portilla’s proposal would vastly expand what outdoor advertising would be allowed on many city properties, and the purpose is all about bringing in more revenue.
The introduction of the city’s sign ordinance notes, “… the City of Miami seeks to bring in necessary revenue to maintain and improve government-owned properties within the city.”
The original ordinance already allows outdoor advertising signs at three city-owned sites: James L. Knight Center, 400 SE Second Ave.; the Olympia Theater and Building/Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 E Flagler St.; and Miami Children’s Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway.
Mr. Diaz de la Portilla’s proposal adds these locations: Bayfront Park; Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM); Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County; Maurice A. Ferré Park; and “any government-owned location within the Omni or SEOPW CRAs (Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency).”
In Mr. Diaz de la Portilla’s proposal the following locations are deemed Digital Free Standing Sign Sites: Bayfront Park; PAMM; and Maurice A. Ferré Park.
The proposal reads, “For the purpose of this section, the Digital Free Standing Sign Sites, as well as the Miamimarina at Bayside and Bayside Marketplace, all of which are under common ownership by the city, are deemed one site or premise for the purpose of determining if such sign copy is on-premises signage.”
His proposal defines Digital Free Standing Sign Sites as: “These sites are entitled to erect, notwithstanding any contrary provisions in the Miami 21 Zoning Code, freestanding digital signs in which the size of the sign cannot exceed 1,800 square feet per sign face, with no more than 2 sign faces, and height measured from the top of the sign face cannot exceed 100 feet above grade.”
The city has a dicey past when it comes to the proliferation of billboards and advertising signage, with past commissioners working to limit their number and location. That appears to no longer be a priority.
Mr. Carollo’s amendment limits the size of advertising signs and does not allow them to be free-standing.
Along with the size of the signs being limited to 20 by 20 feet, Mr. Carollo said the signs can only be placed every 1,000 feet, which will also limit the number of signs.
“Putting something that’s reasonable in size, 1,000 feet apart, it’s not like … a sign every few hundred feet,” said Mr. Carollo on Sept. 22.
Commissioner Manolo Reyes voiced concern about the brightness of new signs.
Resident Nathan Kurland, a longtime critic of billboards and outdoor advertising signs in the city, voiced opposition to the proposed ordinance from Mr. Carollo.
“Over the past several years the city commission has opened the barn door to an industry that has little regard for our natural beauty and quality of life,” Mr. Kurland said. “Advertising on barges, planes, buildings – everywhere you look, advertising. Ferré and Bayfront Park are signature parks for the City of Miami. If you allow (this) to pass, what would be the eventual result will be parks full of advertising.”
DC
October 12, 2022 at 11:11 am
Madness.
Richard Rodriguez
October 13, 2022 at 10:29 am
I agree 100%. With all the new tax revenue the city is receiving from new construction, we still need to advertise in our parks in order to maintain them?
Michael
October 19, 2022 at 3:54 pm
Exactly, Richard. When will someone challenge our city commission on where all the new property revenue has gone? I am sure they would do everything within their power to fight anyone who would lead that investigation. How does a local politician afford to buy a $2 million residence in an exclusive neighborhood in Coconut Grove on a $130K salary? Maybe that should be the first question asked by whomever decides to lead that inquiry.
Philip Bowers
October 12, 2022 at 11:05 pm
Totally insane. Billboards are visual pollution. LED billboards are the WORST form of visual pollution.
Carlos M. Ferré
October 13, 2022 at 6:10 pm
Placing digital signage on a public building is not the same as placing digital signage in a park. A 20′ X 20′ digital display or monument sign which is what the first reading references is almost 1/2 the size of a standard 14′ X 48′ digital roadside billboard and would need to be up close to the highway or road in order to be effective for the targeted audience that advertisers would want. The monument sign’s limited size and aspect ratio means that the majority of the content will need to be large-size lettering in order to be seen from the standard catchment and viewing corridor and the standard content rotation will be every 8 seconds as per Florida law. Placing these in parks and along Virginia Key or the Miami Marine Stadium site will be pretty disruptive and will have an adverse effect to pedestrian viewers. There is a vast difference between digital signs for vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic. The only pedestrian billboards that work well are in Times Square, Las Vegas Strip, LA Live, Dundas Square in Toronto, Piccadilly Square in London and some Asian Cities all because they have a captivated pedestrian audience numbering similar to vehicular traffic in well traveled corridors amassing hundred of thousands of daily view. There is not a single public park in any major American city that have digital billboards to which the question needs to be asked why would the City of Miami want to have such a blight in and on its precious public assets that would be distractive and would curtail the public from using such public assets recreationally or as a refuge from the bustling city for which they are intentionally designed and placed ?
Vote NO
October 16, 2022 at 10:24 pm
Carlos Ferre writes a very eloquent comment. He tells the truth. LED billboards have no place in any public park. In fact, billboards are banned in four states. Four states that happen to depend on tourism. Florida depends on tourism. Why do City of Miami Commissioners and its ambitious Mayor Suarez want to harass tourists, and residents? Commissioners should Vote NO on billboards in public parks.
Downtown Vagabond
October 17, 2022 at 3:03 pm
This is great news! They will look very sleek and cool while generating aded revenue. Maybe now we can get the police to finally clean up downtown of all the crackheads that routinely attack people?
Truth
October 22, 2022 at 11:29 pm
Carlos M. Ferre speaks the truth. Mr Ferre uses facts. Why can’t local commissioners review the Highway Beautification Act and decades of research on billboards easily found on Scenic America’s website. scenic.org