News Digest
“Pasco code enforcement tactic zeroes in on blight”
Photo: Pasco County "The tents, blue tarp, stacks of pallets, barbed wire and general junky look at the side of Hicks Road in Hudson are gone. The business, called Home Discount Depot, popped up in August 2017, with an illegal sign and without proper zoning permits....
Vacant store front window covering: “Miami Beach cataloging storefront vacancies”
Photo: R.E. Miami Beach,City of Miami "Miami Beach Commissioners are turning their attention to the number of vacant storefronts in the City. Ricky Arriola, Chair of the Commission’s Finance Committee, started a lively conversation on Facebook recently when he posted...
Legal: Homosassa chickee hut “Revitalization of KC Crump site slowed by permit problems”
Photo: Citrus County Chronicle "A development group plans to breathe new life into the old KC Crump restaurant property along the shores of the Homosassa River by turning it into a relaxing spot where people can eat, enjoy outdoor music acts and escape the heat......
LEGAL: Chickee hut? “St. Pete Beach to seek definition of chickee hut from State Building Commission”
Photo: NBC-2.com "What’s in a name? St. Pete Beach commissioners learned a tiki hut by any other name, such as a chickee hut, can be built without a permit. During the city’s regular May 8 commission meeting, City Attorney Andrew Dickman told commissioners some...
Advertising on Cars: “Digital license plates coming soon to Florida, company claims”
Video: ABC Action News "Digital license plates are about to go mainstream in Florida, and it could help save taxpayers millions. According to NBC News, a company called Reviver Auto has developed electronic license plates, dubbed Rplates. Rplates are now on sale in...
The Florida Scenic Highways Program Printable Calendars
Photo: 2018 FDOT Scenic Highway Calendar The Florida Scenic Highways Program (FSHP) publishes calendars that use employee photos to "celebrate the diversity of sights and activities along our Florida Scenic Highways". Previous year's calendars remain popular since...
Jacksonville: “Homeowners claim city removed Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) signs from yards”
Video: News4Jax "Some homeowners claim workers with the city of Jacksonville removed signs they placed in their front yards opposing the sale of JEA. Residents in Oceanway posted anti-sale signs in their yards. They told News4Jax on Monday someone from the city came...
Jacksonville: “City employee, supervisor placed on leave over military flags flap…”
Video: Florida Times-Union "As a petition is posted on change.org demanding a Jacksonville city inspector be fired for citing a Westside store for flying military flags, Mayor Lenny Curry has put her on administrative leave after video of her finger-wagging...
Santa Rosa Beach: “Topsail Hill beach gets a cleanup”
Photo: nwfdailynews.com "Forty-three volunteers from Okaloosa and Walton counties and people from the park’s campground gathered at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park recently for a beach cleanup." -- nwfdailynews.com Read entire article
Haulover Beach: “FPL, Miami-Dade County team up for 36th Biscayne Bay cleanup”
"Florida Power and Light provided on Saturday a different kind of service than providing electricity to homes and businesses. The utility and Miami-Dade County teamed up for the 36th annual Baynanza Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day. The event gave more than 200 volunteers a...
“Garage sale signs go down in Titusville”
Video: Fox35 News "Some residents in Titusville have noticed their garage sale signs missing from street sides. City representatives said it’s no accident: those signs aren’t supposed to be there. According to city code 'snipe signs,' as they’re called, are not...
Jacksonville: A sense of place: The human experience is vital for Downtown’s success
Illustration: Elkus Manfredi Architects "You can find your way to Downtown by looking for our striking skyline of tall, grand buildings, even from miles away over the St. Johns or from the interstate. But once you’re there, on the ground, about all you see are the...
Digital billboards coming to a Florida beach near you? “Okaloosa focuses on beach safety”
Photo: Wikipedia "Okaloosa County officials hope a new public beach safety campaign will help educate visitors about the beach flag warning system, Gulf of Mexico currents and marine life... On Tuesday, the County Commission unanimously approved spending up to...
“FPL seeks pilot program to test underground powerlines”
Photo: Sun Sentinel "Florida Power & Light Co. is planning a pilot program to put utility lines underground in not-yet-identified neighborhoods in the state... FPL said September’s Hurricane Irma showed that underground main powerlines are more resilient in general,...
“Lovely as a tree. The greening of a highway interchange”
Photo: Air Force "A team of Air Force volunteers and soil conservationists has completed a project to beautify five acres at the intersection of State Road 85 and the Spence Parkway in Niceville. The project included transferring 224 cubic yards of top-soil from a...
Digital Billboard Safety: New research included in Verdian Group Compendium
Verdian group has just published an up-to-date Compendium of billboard traffic safety research which includes information on 22 studies conducted worldwide between 2008-2018. The most recent study from Belgium (2018) adds to the growing body of evidence that roadside...
“Digital billboards coming to Gainesville; deal came after Fairway threatened lawsuit”
Photo: Scott Rogers, Gainsville Times "Gainesville officials have reached a compromise to allow digital billboards within the city limits after nearly three years of negotiations and threats of a lawsuit. Close to 70 billboards are located in Gainesville, with the...
Legal: In Kenya, county “pulls down billboards of firms that illegally fell or poison trees”
Photo: Collins Langat, The Star, Kenya "The county says it will pull down billboards owned by at least five advertising firms, which it says are notorious for illegally felling trees on major roads. It plans to start this week. Some trees even have been poisoned by...
Legal: Illegal billboards are simply removed in Pakistan
Photo: Pakastan Today "National Highways Authority (NHA) and district administration on Tuesday jointly started a drive against illegal billboards around motorway near Charsadda interchange and pulled them down. In the presence law enforcement personnel, the staff of...
“Milton mulls ‘wind sign’ amendment”
Photo: Wiki Commons "City staffers have examined a law related to business signage, and are considering amending the ordinance to allow businesses to display certain types of signs for an extended period. The signs in question are wind signs — sometimes known as...