Photo: Adweek
“…Netflix’s latest out-of-home campaign lets Snapchat users in France swap faces with its TV characters including House of Cards’ Frank Underwood and the namesake of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Urban passersby can take selfies in front of a Netflix billboard. By using Snapchat’s face-swapping feature, they can then create split-screen photos…”
—Christopher Heine, Ad Week
Video: Action News Jax
“St. Johns County neighbors are fighting back against the rapid growth in that county.
Hundreds [update: 1500+] have signed a petition to save a scenic stretch threatened by new construction.
For nearly 17 miles, the William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway stretches along State Road 13 under moss-draped trees with a view of the St. Johns River.
‘Many of us who moved there, moved there for the very reason because of the beauty of the area and the serenity of the area,’ William Edenfield said. ‘I fear that we are going to have the possibility of a great loss of a historic area.’
About 5000 homes are being built along a scenic highway & neighbors are concerned that traffic will take away from the beauty.
Neighbors tell me they fear the highway will have to be widened which would destroy their scenic views.
A petition is circulating the web to save the scenic highway and it already has 1,500 supporters…
Bob McNally, the creator of the petition, said his biggest concern is that the Florida Department of Transportation will be forced to turn the road into four lanes to accommodate excess traffic.
‘It would be awful if that happened, to say the least,’ Edenfield said.
Edenfield said Rivertown has another exit area that spills out on a divided four-lane highway from Long Leaf Pine Parkway.
‘Directing more traffic onto that highway might help preserve at least a little bit of what we have now,’ he said…”
— Danielle Avitable, Action News Jax
Photo: WFTS ABC Action News
‘Snipe Sign’ offenders face fines of $5.55/sign
“Tampa Code Enforcement is cracking down on illegal signs, often called ‘snipe signs’ across the city.
Companies who continue to illegally plaster the streets with the signs that advertise everything from credit repair to fast home flips will face fines and even court, said Sal Ruggiero of the Tampa Neighborhood Enhancement Division.
‘We actually went out and made personal contact with them and asked them to stop,’ Ruggiero said.
Code Enforcement said they’ve had some success with the personal calls, but some companies have refused to stop.
Now, the City of Tampa is fining those companies $5.55 per sign. If they still refuse to stop, the companies could end up in court.
‘They could ultimately become chronic and end up in front of a criminal judge,’ Ruggiero said. ‘Hopefully if we bombard them hard enough with bills and tickets and you know tickets, they’ll get the message.’
For people who live and work in the neighborhood, seeing the signs is frustrating.
‘I mean they’re polluting the city,’ said Anthony Moran, a West Tampa resident. ‘What’s the difference between that and throwing the garbage out your door?’….”
— Lauren Rozyla, WFTS ABC Action News
Photo:The St. Augustine Record
“The writing could be on the wall for the idea of allowing digital billboards in St. Johns County….
The Planning and Zoning Agency on Thursday excluded the component, which would include implementation of a two-year pilot program along Interstate 95, from its 5-1 recommendation to approve changes to signage regulations in the Land Development Code.
Board member Jon Woodard was alone in dissent, questioning whether the electric signs would be any more dangerous than traditional boards lit up at night and touting some potential benefits for business owners unable to take advantage of traditional boards due to cost or availability.
While industry representatives said going digital is another sign of the times, residents speaking in opposition said the boards are distracting by nature, costly and pose increased safety and environmental hazards over their canvas counterparts.
County staff had recommended approval of a two-year test run ‘to allow time for multiple electronic billboards to be erected and observed, then assessing the strengths and possible downsides of the program.’
The proposed changes would allow billboards using light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, to project multiple advertisements on a single billboard. Those advertisements would remain static on the billboard no less than eight seconds before changing, on an automated basis, to a different advertisement. Provisions would be included to prohibit animation, flashing, or the appearance of moving objects on the face of the billboards. Locations of digital billboards would be along ‘appropriately zoned’ parcels adjacent to I-95. There are also several limitations regarding separation between signs, distance from existing structures, as well as size and brightness…
Nelson said he didn’t find any compelling evidence regarding safety hazards either way, but that he opposed the program due to some lingering concerns.
‘It’s not really a pilot program because we’re stuck with these,’ he said. ‘We should be darn sure that’s what we want because there’s no going back.’
Joseph Cearley, special projects manager for the county, told PZA members just four existing, conforming boards along I-95 had been identified as eligible for replacement by a digital board for the pilot, all of which were owned by one outdoor media company.
Martin said the county would risk facilitating a monopoly if it went ahead with the pilot program under the current parameters and allowing only one company to benefit. (The board recommended the County Commission address this issue and others if it decides to move forward with a pilot program.)
There were other battles.
The program would feature a points-based swap-down system requiring removal of four to five traditional billboards for every one digital sign installed. Swap-down standards would apply to instances where a new digital billboard is installed or a digital billboard replaces a conforming traditional billboard. Nonconforming traditional billboards that have been grandfathered in would not be replaced with new digital billboards.
According to county documents, the current swap-down system for traditional boards has already reduced the number of active billboards within the county from 579 in the year 2000 to 301 in 2015, for an overall reduction of 278…
Existing signs are expected to be grandfathered in as nonconforming signs and held to certain limitations.,,
The PZA’s recommendations and comments will be forwarded to the County Commission, which is expected to revisit the items at its April 4 meeting for a third and final hearing, required by statute to start after 5 p.m.”
— Jake Martin, The St. Augustine Record
Off-premise electronic billboards are still prohibited in Jackson County, but that could change if the notion of making them legal gains more traction and board agreement is reached about the distance that must lie between such signs and residential areas.
Jackson County Commissioners had directed planning staffers to bring the matter to the planning commission for a re-evaluation of the issue. Last week, county commissioners considered adding an ordinance amendment crafted as a result of that directive, a proposal allowing and regulating such signs…”
–Deborah Buckhalter , Jackson County Floridian