by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Call them “bandits,” call them “snipes,” call them “litter” or call them “safety hazards,” those little signs seem to be everywhere by the side of the road. They advertise everything from wireless Internet service to buying a house, selling a foreclosure or how to lose seven pounds in seven days and they are in sights of the City of Jacksonville’s crushers.
“This is an issue that’s near and dear to my heart. I have made a pest of myself over these signs since I was elected,” said City Council member Ray Holt.
He has observed some intersections in his district where several signs in one area have become a safety issue.
“You see a dozen or more and they’re in the right-of-way. It’s ugly and annoying and it can be a hazard,” said Holt. “If you’re in a low vehicle like I am, it can be hard to see oncoming traffic because of the signs.”
Council member Bill Bishop said the signs have become part of his and his wife’s weekend ritual.
“We pick up a dozen or more every Sunday on our way home from church,” said Bishop.
The placards are prohibited by law because they do not have permits and are placed on public property. But enforcing the law can be difficult for a variety of reasons. In many cases there is no named business or address to be found on the sign, just a contact number that often is a temporary “disposable” cell phone.
In other cases, the signs are placed by companies that not only make the signs, but also are paid
to install them at intersections or attach them to utility poles. Even that third party is liable under the law. But issuing a citation, levying a fine and then collecting
a judgment if the fine isn’t paid can cost more than it’s worth, said Tom Goldsbury, the City’s chief of building and zoning inspection.
“We have to decide how much we want to spend collecting judgments,” said Goldsbury. “Five years ago we had contract employees who were out four days a week in a truck picking up signs that were place in the right-of-way. But budget cuts forced the elimination of that program. We also do sign blitzes. Last March we picked up 3,200 signs in six hours on a Saturday, but we had to pay employees overtime.”
Last week, the City implemented a high-tech but low-cost program that may be the answer and at least discourage people from using the “bandit” signs.
Goldsbury said a $150 component that works through a computer automatically dials the phone number printed on a sign. When a connection is made, the device leaves a three-minute message from the City about the sign law and why that number is being called. As soon as the call ends, the system dials the number again and repeats the process until it’s taken off-line. Currently the program is targeting only the most chronic violators, but based on short-term results its use may be expanded.
“The system went on-line Friday and it took just one day for one of the offenders to call and tell us he had removed all of his signs,” said Goldsbury.
Tying up the violator’s telephone line could be the best way to deter people from using the illegal signs.
“We’re basically killing their phone system,” said Holt.
Controlling unlawful signs on public property is part of a larger effort to rewrite several sections of the City sign ordinance, said Bishop.
“It’s time to clean up the sign ordinance to make the rules more consistent. That will make the law easier to follow and easier to enforce,” he said.