by TRC_Admin | Apr 30, 2018 | City Signs, Snipe Signs
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 allowed on any public property or right of way.
Garage sale signs or other temporary signs can go up on private property with the owner’s permission, but city leaders said if they are placed in the public right of way they can be removed by anyone…”
— Brian Scott, Fox35 News
View video
by TRC_Admin | Feb 3, 2018 | Snipe 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 possible. The public can help, too.
Sometimes even before the sun is up, Jim Reed and Bill Staley hit the pavement along State Road 60 in Brandon. One after another, they pick up the signs that they call ‘roadside spam.’
‘Free TVs, free money, we will pay for your rent, we will give your groceries, this that,’ Reed said.
Snipe signs are illegal in the right-of-way in Hillsborough County. The signs can’t be installed on public property, but the law is difficult to enforce. It is why drivers and pedestrians see these signs at busy intersections in the county…
Anyone can pick up the signs. They are considered litter. Besides the fact that they are not visually appealing, the signs end up in storm drains, can be a hazard to the county crews and can promote scams.
There is a lengthy list of prohibited signs in Section 7.02.02 of the county code. It is important to note that most of these signs are allowed on private property.
‘We have collected 56,000 signs from Eastern Hillsborough County,’ Staley said.
That’s about 150 signs per week. Last year, Hillsborough County Code Enforcement officers picked up an added 70,000 snipe signs.
It’s important to note that Staley and Reed can’t show partiality, but they do not always pick up lost pet signs or yard sale signs right away. The pair picks up everything else, sometimes right after the sign is put up. Staley and Reed have volunteered for almost seven years and hope the community learns a lesson…
Anyone who wants to volunteer to help pick up snipe signs should visit the Hillsborough County website. If you decide to go out on your own, remember not to pick up signs on private property.”
— Hilary Zalla, WTSP
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Feb 3, 2018 | 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 here
by TRC_Admin | Aug 23, 2017 | City Signs, Legal, Litter, Snipe Signs
Photos: Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel
“Little things add up, said Ramil Celestin as he plucked a beer carton, a plastic grocery bag and a french fry box off the center lane of Pine Hills Road.
He chucked the trash into the back of a county van stacked with illegal road-side signs that shouted: ‘JUNK CARS’ and ‘DELETE YOUR BAD CREDIT.’ He had snatched up those signs, too.
‘Little things can add up to good, they can add up to bad,’ said Celestin, 57, who has worked for about a year as a ‘beautification technician,’ a title created for the job by Michelle Owens, executive director of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Improvement District.

She will address the Orange County commission…on progress in Pine Hills, one of the county’s largest communities and a place fighting to wipe away the stains of crime and blight.
‘We have a lot of exciting things that are beginning to gel in Pine Hills and, going forward, this is all going to have a huge impact on what people think of when they think of Pine Hills,’ Owens said.
Celestin believes he is making a difference in Pine Hills, where he earns $18 an hour to pick up litter and remove ‘snipe’ advertising signs. He usually works three or four mornings a week.
Celestin, also the CEO of a janitorial business, said he picks up enough trash and litter from the roads and sidewalks of Pine Hills in two mornings to fill up a dumpster.
Ramil Celestin dispose of trash he picked up in Pine Hills as part of the community’s effort to improve its image. He works mornings three or four days under the title ‘beautification technician’ and collects enough garbage in two mornings to fill a Dumpster.
‘It was really filthy, really nasty,’ Celestin said, recalling his first week picking up soda cans, cigarette packages, lottery tickets and fast food litter.
His work is a never-ending chore as a street which he cleans Friday is often trashy again by Monday.
‘But I do my best,’ Celestin said.
The tax-supported improvement district also gave ‘trash grabbers’ to some neighborhood businesses to help them tidy their store fronts.
One shop then chose to hire a homeless man to pick up litter in their parking area every week, Owens said…”
–Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Jul 21, 2017 | Snipe Signs
Photo: Bay News 9 Image
“…Two men have been working hard in their spare time to clean up Hillsborough County.
‘Blight Fighters’ working to clean up snipe signs across Hillsborough: Bill Staley, Jim Reed spend weekends picking up illegal signs They have collected over 52,000 signs since 2001 County officials say signs are a code violation Neighbors, Bill Staley and Jim Reed, have been traveling across the county and removing old signs, or as Bill calls them, road side spam. They have been doing this since 2011 and have collected over 52,000 signs.
They two guys say they take pride in their community and plan to continue working hard to keep it nice.
‘They’ve always been an irritant for me,’ Staley said.
‘We spend anywhere from 3-4 hours on a Saturday morning or Sunday morning out running the streets, so to speak,’ Reed said.
Staley and Reed are the Blight Fighters – dedicating their weekend mornings for the last six years to picking up “snipe signs” from all over Hillsborough County…
The signs are illegal and Hillsborough County’s Code Enforcement Director said they pose a big problem.
‘The snipe sign is really the biggest code violation in the county. It really impacts the most people because everybody see them,’ Ron Spiller, with the Hillsborough County Code Enforcement, said.
The signs can also pose a safety threat because they’re easily blown around during storms and can even cause flooding if they get stuck in a drain.
Hillsborough County Code Enforcement officers are on track to pick up over 70,000 of these signs this year alone, and they said they’re put out just as fast as they’re picked up – so help from guys like Staley and Reed is definitely appreciated...’”
–Fallon Silcox, Bay News 9
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Apr 4, 2017 | Billboards, Building Wrap, Bus Bench, Highway Beautification, Interactive Advertising, Kiosk, Scenic Highways, Snipe Signs, Uncategorized
Photo: Leah Powell
Bill Brinton has spent a lifetime as a protector of unspoiled views. He has successfully battled local, state and national forces bent on visual assault caused by installation of outdoor advertising and other unsightly intrusions.
He believes in the power of citizens to take a stand for the irreplaceable resources that matter most. Because of his foresight, you can be part of a mobilized citizenry that ensures our scenic surroundings for generations to come.
Bill chose to mark the 30th anniversary of the successful Jacksonville City Charter Amendment banning new billboards and removing more than 1,400 existing billboards with the creation of the Scenic Jacksonville Endowment to Protect and Enhance Scenic Beauty in Jacksonville.
When fully funded, this endowment will enable Scenic Jacksonville — also celebrating its 30th anniversary — to continue its vital work to preserve the breathtaking views we cherish and provide support for new projects that enhance our much-loved home.
It is Bill’s vision to raise $300,000 for the endowment, which is held at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. His dream is to see it provide perpetual funding for the things he holds most dear: civic engagement, advocacy, and education.
He’s eager to involve the next generation by sponsoring photo and essay contests to instil a love of our natural surroundings in young citizens.
There is so much more we can do together if we rally around Bill’s visionary leadership and ultimate victory over unsightly signage.
For more information about the fund, please contact Nina Waters, President, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida at(904) 356-4483 or nwaters@jaxcf.org.
To contribute to the Scenic Jacksonville Endowment to Protect and Enhance Scenic Beauty in Jacksonville, go to jaxcf.org/donate and enter Scenic Jacksonville into the Search box.”
Save the Date: May 17 for a Celebration in Jacksonville
Visit the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
–Scenic Jacksonville