Scenic Pinellas

Current Issues

Pinellas County Commission postpones decision on Digital Billboards

The Board of County Commissioners workshop on October 27th produced the following decision regarding the billboard industry's request to increase the frequency of message changes on digital billboards in unincorporated Pinellas County:

• NO immediate changes in the existing 60 second minimum change interval.
• County Administrator is to monitor and enforce the existing sign removal agreements.
• Develop a plan to accelerate the removal of existing nonconforming signs as a condition of any new digital billboards.
• The Board will convene a visioning workshop on roadside aesthetics.
• County will develop a set of guidelines for the use of digital signs, in concert with Federal Highway Safety recommendations expected in 2010.
  

Learn how you can find additional information and take action.

Review finds that CBS Outdoor is Violating Billboard Removal Agreement

Seven illegal billboards despoil Pinellas Roadways because 2002 agreements calling for a phased removal are not being followed.  Documents filed by CBS and reviewed by Scenic Pinellas show two former Lamar Billboards should have been removed in 2004 have not been removed.  Further one former Viacom billboard scheduled for removal in 2007 has not been removed along with four more that should have been removed in 2008 are still standing.

New report clearly indicates that these billboards are dangerous!

A major report has been issued that for the first time recommends policies to improve the safety of digital billboards by severely limiting appropriate locations for the signs and establishing new criteria governing sign behavior, including the frequency with which the brightly illuminated electronic images should be allowed to change. Written by renowned human-factors expert Jerry Wachtel, the report, Safety Impacts of the Emerging Digital Display Technology for Outdoor Advertising Signs, was produced as a project of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

However the Clear Channel Outdoor Advertising representative asked the commission to take action now based on billboard industry sponsored studies that have been criticized as being biased.  Two Pinellas Commissioners seemed to support taking the requested action which would relax hard fought 2003 settlement agreements with these billboard companies.