Welcome
City of Miami
The City of Miami Commission is scheduled to hear February 23 (deferred after our objections from January 26) on First Reading an ordinance to allow internally illuminated signs on certain city-owned venues – think 50 story billboards tower on Miami Marine Stadium, Bayfront Park Amphiltheatre, Lyric Theatre, Gusman Theatre, Manuel Artime Theatre, and potentially a new facility being rehabilitated on edge of Overtown.
Scenic Miami-Dade Letter to the Mayor on this issue
Click here to get the letter which contains legal details of this very important issue
Miami-Dade County
On February 15, at 2 p.m.,the County Infrastructure And Land Use Committee will consider a new ordinance which will greatly expand the Miami mural ad area, encroaching on several neighborhoods as well as benefiting a politically connected landowner whose building is next to Lummus Park and a low-density residential neighborhood.
The Miami-Dade County Commission passed on first reading and thus sent to the Infrastructure and Land Use Committee, an ordinance proposed by Comm. Bruno Barreiro to expand Miami Mural Ad area. On Thursday, February 9, 2012, this ordinance was amended, greatly increasing this expansion area about a square mile from W. Flagler Street to N.W. 5th Street, and from I-95 to the Miami River, encroaching on several neighborhoods, facing historic Lummus Park, and the Miami River Greenway while benefitting a politically connected landowner whose building is next to historic Lummus Park and a low density residential area. The vote was 7 in favor (Chair Joe A. Martinez, Comm. Bruno A. Barreiro, Comm. Lynda Bell, Comm. Esteban Bovo, Jr., Comm. Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Comm. Jean Monestime, and Comm. Xavier L. Suarez) to 6 against (Vice Chair Audrey Edmonson, Comm. Sally A. Heyman, Comm. Barbara J. Jordan, Comm. Dennis C. Moss, Comm. Rebeca Sosa, and Comm. Javier D. Souto). Most first readings pass 13-0.
The Infrastructure and Land Use committee members are Chair Audrey Edmonson, Vice Chair Barbara J. Jordan, Comm. Bruno A. Barreiro, Comm. Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Comm. Jean Monestime, and Comm. Rebeca Sosa). The committee meets at 2:00 p.m., February 15, 2012.
New Chapter of Documentary On Visual Blight In Florida
Blightfighters latest video release "Just Say "No!" to Clear Channel" is the ninth chapter of the the on-going documentary "Chronicle of the Billboard Wars", produced by Ossian Or.
The latest chapter chronicles the landmark victory in the ongoing struggle against the proliferation of "Digbos" otherwise known as "digital billboards". This recent battle was waged in St. Petersburg, Florida and culminated in a rejection of an offer by Clear Channel to remove conventional billboards in exchange for allowing digital billboards to go up along the interstate corridor through the city. The video demonstrates how communities can organize to oppose this intrusive threat.
The video can be seen by clicking on the above image or going to the Blightfighters website: www.blightfighters.org.
Another New Film On Visual Blight
Billboards and commercial messages dominate the public space like never before. Can we reverse this visual pollution? "This Space Available" looks at diverse activists from the worlds of advertising, street art, and politics. Influenced by the writing of Marc Gobé ( Emotional Branding ), his daughter Gwenaelle directs with tremendous verve in her depiction of New Yorkers and others around the world who want to reclaim the integrity of their cities against an onslaught of visual pollution.
Executive Producer, Marc Gobé and Gwenaelle Gobé co-founder of E.B. Studios have just released their first full length documentary film. The film has been selected by the prestigious NYC DOC Film Festival for its first screening November 2011. Click here to go to their website to see the trailer and to view segments of the film.
Victory in West Miami
West Miami is a tiny city of approximately 6,000 residents. The City of West Miami, along with more than 30 other municipalities, exists within Miami-Dade County. Since approximately 1984, in order to establish a "community-wide" visual aesthetic, Miami-Dade County has had a Sign Code which, among other features, does not allow digital billboards anywhere in the County.
West Miami’s city council was looking for additional revenue in these tough times and it recently adopted an ordinance that allows billboards including digitals.
The residents of City of West Miami decided to fight this. Led by Leticia Vega, Ph.D with help from Scenic Miami, Inc. and Scenic Miami-Dade County, Inc. the residents prepared and filed papers to commence referendum proceedings to accomplish the wholesale repeal of the West Miami ordinance that had "allowed" the digital billboards.
The City Commission of the City of West Miami, responding to the residents, announced that it will repeal the flawed ordinance and scheduled the first hearing to accomplish that goal as quickly as it could.
Now the residents just have to figure out how to take down the one billboard that was slipped in while the ordinance was (apparently illegally) in place during the course of the proceedings. GOOD job to our friends in West Miami and at Scenic Miami-Dade County.
Mayor Gimenez - Just Enforce the Billboard Law
Click here to read Op Ed piece in the Miami Herald (9/17/11) by Peter Ehrlich, a founder and vice president of Scenic Miami, Inc and Scenic Miami-Dade County, Inc.
Giant Billboards And Wall Murals Are Taking Over Miami
Distracting signs are proliferating across Miami and are making our roadways and landscapes ugly.
No more digital billboards. No more giant billboards by any name. No more "sky spam".
WLRN Radio Program with Scenic Miami
Scenic Miami's Peter Ehrlich and Lobbyist Dusty Melton were on WLRN's Tropical Currents programs discussing the existing county sign ordinance and the sophisticated efforts to erect and maintain additional types of signs signs within the county including some that are illegal
Learn about digital billboards by going here to our Digital Billboards Education Page.
Miami Could Soon Have MANY Billboards 
LED Billboards Distract Drivers
Even Larger Digital Billboard Mega-towers are Being Planned!
These controversial towers were initially approved by the city council. That project collapsed, but it continues to resurface in a variety of new proposals aimed at one thing: mega-towers in our city.
For the latest news and information on this project please go to our News Page or become a member.