- May 5, 2024
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Before finalizing a ban on roadside signs, commissioners will bring the issue to the people.
BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER
Ormond Beach’s Neighborhood Improvement Division was supposed to start taking a stricter, more proactive approach to enforcing the city’s code regarding signs placed in the rights-of-way beginning June 1. But for the moment, anyway, that will be put on hold.
The policy change has been tabled so that the department can discuss the issue further with the Ormond Beach City Commission, as well as residents.
In the past, the Neighborhood Improvement Division simply removed the prohibited signs, in hopes it would discourage individuals or businesses. But Joanne Naumann, manager of the Neighborhood Improvement Division, said the method wasted a significant number of staff hour.
“Signs on the right-of-way are prohibited, no matter what they’re for,” she said. “The city has spent a lot of time removing them.”
The new policy would have involved code enforcement officers photographing and removing the signs and issuing a notice of violation to the individual or business responsible.
Then, a $200 citation would have been issued for each prohibited sign after the notice of violation was issued, in addition to a scheduled hearing before the special magistrate. Daily fines could also be issued during the hearing.
But Mayor Ed Kelley feels as though the city needs to balance enforcing its code, which he called complaint-driven, and not making things difficult for residents and businesses.
“It shouldn’t be up to the city to go out and take down signs people have put up over the weekend,” Kelley said, adding that real estate companies rely on them to advertise open houses.
“If people are responsible and take the responsibility and don’t create a traffic hazard, that’s one thing.”
However, if signs are left up after the weekend and the city has to remove them, Kelley added, the person or business responsible should be fined.
The city wants homes to sell, so Kelley said he didn’t have a problem with signs for open houses, as long as they’re removed and don’t cause a safety hazard. He also supported yard sale signs, as long as residents removed them, too.
But there’s a limit, he added, and signs posted to utility poles selling mattresses or services can be tacky.
A workshop between the City Commission and the Neighborhood Improvement Division will be scheduled during the summer, Naumann said, but a specific date hasn’t yet been set.
What do you think?
Get in on the conversation and tell the City Commission what you think about roadside signs. Call 677-0311.
