News Digest
Legal: Campaign Signs “Sign controversy brewing on Holiday Isle”
Photo: NWF Daily News "Two residents of Holiday Isle in Destin were cited by the neighborhood’s Holiday Isle Improvement Association this week for violating the organization’s sign codes, but they believe the citations could potentially be politically motivated. Alan...
State Control of Tree Cutting? “Clearing trees from I-95 in Georgia will make roads safer, DOT says”
Photo: The Florida Times Union "The drive along Interstate 95 in Georgia gets uglier by the day as trees are taken down, but state transportation officials say the clear cutting will improve safety. The 'vegetative management projects' along I-95 are aimed at reducing...
Legal: “Pasco considering easing sign restrictions”
Photo:Orlando Sentinel "Pasco County, which prohibits digital signs for commercial uses, is poised to ease that restriction. Kind of. Sort of. If you own 200 acres or have a 35,000-square-foot building with 2,000 seats or 450 parking spots, you can have a digital...
Snipe Signs: “Hillsborough County cracks down on illegal placement of signs”
Photo: WTSP "Snipe signs -- you see them everywhere; while you're driving, walking or riding your bike. You probably had no idea how many problems they cause. Now, two men in Hillsborough County have made it their mission to get rid of as many illegal signs as...
Snipe Signs: “Destin continues battle vs. snipe signs”
"Another week, another batch of 'snipe' signs removed. That Whac-A-Mole-like scenario is a routine part of the workload of code enforcement officers, including those who work for the city of Destin..." -- Tony Judnich, NW Florida Daily Read article...
Orlando: Council OKs program to swap old billboards for digital ones
Photo: Orlando Sentinel Orlando commissioners Monday OK’d a plan that aims to remove billboards from the city’s neighborhood streets by allowing them to be swapped out for digital signs along major roadways. The Digital Billboard Exchange Program, approved unanimously...
Legal: “Longboat sign code rewrite not to be heard again until after elections”
Photo:YourObserver.com "Longboat Key commissioners shelved until after the March elections a sign code town staff have been rewriting for more than a year to meet Supreme Court standards of content neutrality... The latest iteration of Longboat's proposed sign code...
“Bike Dreams”
Photo: Roberto Gonzalez "Can we ever find a path that leads to bicycles and cars sharing the road in harmony? Many believe so. Here’s a bit of history and a look to the future. ...Cyclists and many of Central Florida’s civic and government leaders have been promoting...
Happy Holidays
Photo: The Beaches of Ft. Myers and Sanibel
“Three months after Hurricane Irma, canals in the Florida Keys are still full of debris”
Photo: Katie Atkins, Miami Herald "A photo of manatees in a Florida Keys canal surrounded by Hurricane Irma debris posted to Facebook has sparked outrage online. The photo was posted Dec. 7 in the Facebook group 'Irma Big Pine Key' and it was later clarified the canal...
Educational Video on Local Control
Image: Keep it Local Florida -- Keep it Local Florida View video and other materials on the KeepItLocalFlorida.org website
Legal: “Jax City Council defends tree canopy against ‘sledgehammer’ government in Tallahassee”
Photo: Steve Bisson "The Jacksonville City Council approved legislation this week that opposes a state bill (HB 521/SB 574) that would cut the heart out of the city’s tree canopy protections. The state bill, filed by Republican Greg Steube in the Senate and Democrat...
Invasive Species: “Space Invaders”
Photo: David Moynahan in Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission bulletin "Recently, I was at a local bar shooting aliens. They just kept coming, rows and rows of them, dropping bombs while I tried to pick them off with one puny laser after another. I had a...
Addressing derelict boats will take more resources in Palmetto, police chief says
Photo: Tiffany Tompkins "On one side of the Green Bridge in Palmetto sits the Regatta Pointe Marina, where the liveaboard lifestyle is growing and flourishing. Boat owners take care of their vessels, pay their fees and enjoy their 'homes' on the water. On the other...
Legal Update: Sample Resolution Opposing SB 574 and HB 521
Sample Resolution in .pdf format The Bills in Senate and House: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2018/00574 https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2018/521 Read Herald Tribune article
Legal Alert: Tree trimming preemption “Steube files bill to abolish city and county tree protections”
Photo: Herald Tribune The Bills in Senate and House: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2018/00574 https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2018/521 "City and county rules protecting trees are the next battleground in the rolling fight between local governments and...
Florida League of Cities: Oppose state’s tree control preemption
"SB 574 (Steube) and HB 521 (Edwards) preempt to the state the trimming, removal or harvesting of trees and timber on private property, and prohibit local governments from restricting these activities on private property. The bills also prohibit local...
“The Switch to Outdoor LED Lighting Has Completely Backfired”
Photo: NASA/JSC "To reduce energy consumption, many jurisdictions around the world are transitioning to outdoor LED lighting. But as new research shows, this solid-state solution hasn’t yielded the expected energy savings, and potentially worse, it’s resulted in more...
Walkable Cities: “Last lecture in Grid Un-Locked series explores ‘walkability’ and the future of planning”
"It is not drinking finer wine and buying better salami that makes Italians healthier than most Americans, according to a diagnosis from a renowned city planner. Odd that a planner and engineer would be trying to diagnose health in the first place, in fact, but New...
Legal: “Dora Council not budging on ‘Starry Night’ mural”
Photo: Tom Benitez, Daily Commercial "The clock continues to tick for a Mount Dora homeowner to paint over a massive mural adorning her house after the City Council declined Thursday night to suspend fines until a court sorts out the dispute. Early this year,...