Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1670
By Senator Gainer
2-01189-21 20211670__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to outdoor advertising; amending s.
3 252.35, F.S.; expanding the duties of the Division of
4 Emergency Management to include the identification and
5 maintenance of an inventory of available digital
6 outdoor advertising structures capable of providing
7 messaging to the public during declared states of
8 emergency; amending s. 479.07, F.S.; requiring the
9 Department of Transportation to include details for
10 each sign permit issued by the department in a
11 publicly accessible database; deleting a requirement
12 for the department to furnish a metal permit tag to an
13 applicant for a sign permit; conforming provisions to
14 changes made by the act; providing an effective date.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Paragraph (z) is added to subsection (2) of
19 section 252.35, Florida Statutes, to read:
20 252.35 Emergency management powers; Division of Emergency
21 Management.—
22 (2) The division is responsible for carrying out the
23 provisions of ss. 252.31-252.90. In performing its duties, the
24 division shall:
25 (z) Identify and maintain an inventory of available digital
26 outdoor advertising structures capable of providing messaging to
27 the public during a declared state of emergency.
28 Section 2. Subsection (5) and paragraph (a) of subsection
29 (8) of section 479.07, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
30 479.07 Sign permits.—
31 (5)(a) For each permit issued, the department shall include
32 the permit details in a publicly accessible electronic database.
33 Those details must include, but are not limited to, the name and
34 contact information of the permit operator, the structure
35 identification number or numbers, the panel or face
36 identification number or numbers, the latitude and longitude of
37 the permitted sign, the compass bearing, images of the permitted
38 sign once constructed, and the most recent date the department
39 visually inspected the permitted sign furnish to the applicant a
40 serially numbered permanent metal permit tag. The permittee is
41 responsible for maintaining a valid permit tag on each permitted
42 sign facing at all times. The tag shall be securely attached to
43 the upper 50 percent of the sign structure, and attached in such
44 a manner as to be plainly visible from the main-traveled way.
45 The permit tag must be properly and permanently displayed at the
46 permitted site within 30 days after the date of permit issuance.
47 If the permittee fails to erect a completed sign on the
48 permitted site within 270 days after the date on which the
49 permit was issued, the permit will be void, and the department
50 may not issue a new permit to that permittee for the same
51 location for 270 days after the date on which the permit becomes
52 void.
53 (b) If a permit tag is lost, stolen, or destroyed, the
54 permittee to whom the tag was issued must apply to the
55 department for a replacement tag. The department shall establish
56 a service fee for replacement tags in an amount that will
57 recover the actual cost of providing the replacement tag. Upon
58 receipt of the application accompanied by the service fee, the
59 department shall issue a replacement permit tag.
60 (8)(a) In order to reduce peak workloads, the department
61 may provide for staggered expiration dates for licenses and
62 permits. Unless otherwise provided for by rule, all licenses and
63 permits expire annually on January 15. All license and permit
64 renewal fees are required to be submitted to the department by
65 no later than the expiration date. At least 105 days before the
66 expiration date of licenses and permits, the department shall
67 send to each permittee a notice of fees due for all licenses and
68 permits that were issued to him or her before the date of the
69 notice. Such notice must list the permits and the permit fees
70 due for each sign facing. The permittee shall, no later than 45
71 days before the expiration date, advise the department of any
72 additions, deletions, or errors contained in the notice. Permit
73 tags that are not renewed shall be returned to the department
74 for cancellation by the expiration date. Permits that are not
75 renewed or are canceled shall be certified in writing at that
76 time as canceled or not renewed by the permittee, and permit
77 tags for such permits shall be returned to the department or
78 shall be accounted for by the permittee in writing, which
79 writing shall be submitted with the renewal fee payment or the
80 cancellation certification. However, failure of a permittee to
81 submit a permit cancellation does not affect the nonrenewal of a
82 permit. Before cancellation of a permit, the permittee shall
83 provide written notice to all persons or entities having a right
84 to advertise on the sign that the permittee intends to cancel
85 the permit.
86 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.