Wildwood plans to revamp its billboard ordinance, which could include a ban on new billboards in certain areas of the city.
During a workshop session Wednesday, commissioners generally agreed that billboards need regulation to meet city standards, especially on main roads leading into the city.
“It’s a reflection of what kind of city you’re entering,” said Mayor Ed Wolf, adding that billboards should be aesthetically pleasing with landscaping around them. “Those billboards on light poles are horrible.”
The Florida Department of Transportation also regulates the placement and maintenance of highway billboards.
Melanie Peavy, the city’s development services director, said Wildwood has 21 billboards and off-site signs, although a 2008 revision of its billboard ordinance authorized only 16 billboards.
“We need to have a clear definition of where billboards are allowed,” she said.
The current ordinance allows the city to require upgrading or removal of signs when property ownership changes, but Peavy said some billboard owners have 99-year leases. She also said Wildwood now has an enforcement officer to monitor billboards that are not in compliance with city regulations.
Peavy said other cities ban all new billboards and that could be the starting point for a revised Wildwood ordinance.
But Todd Brown, an Allstate Insurance Co. agent in Wildwood, who also operates a small billboard company, said banning new billboards is not the answer because it would prohibit billboard owners from moving to new locations. He said he recently filed a permit for a new billboard location, but has removed six other billboards over the past decade.
Brown said FDOT will respond to complaints of poorly maintained billboards and also requires at least 1,000 feet between them.
“There are a lot of these requirements already in place,” he said. “The problem is it’s not being enforced.”
Billboards are important to small businesses because they are less expensive than media advertising, Brown said.
“Billboards are one of the cheapest forms of advertising out there,” he said. “It’s a critical component for a small business.”
Commissioner Julian Green said it could make sense to link the number of billboards to growth and allow some new billboards when more areas are annexed.
