Group Launches Website To Fight Visual Pollution

Scenic Jacksonville Inc (formerly known as CAPSigns), the group that led the successful effort twenty-two years ago to amend the city's charter to prohibit new billboards and required many of the city's existing billboards to be removed, has launched a new website to educate voters on the billboard issue and to encourage the Mayor to veto the recent legislation passed by Jacksonville's City Council.

That legislation, which was pushed through at the request of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, would allow JTA to construct bus shelters which feature large billboards targeted at passing motorists.    Scenic Jacksonville is concerned that the amendment passed by the Council will open the city up to future legal challenges, as billboard companies seek to gain ground they lost 22 years ago when voters passed the citizen's initiative to reduce visual blight.

Scenic Jacksonville Inc has released a list of the city's thoroughfares that JTA intends to target with advertising.  In addition, they have delivered a letter to Mayor Peyton, calling on him to meet with them on the issue.  Among those requesting a meeting with the Mayor are Bill Brinton, Jack Diamond, Bill Scheu, Ted Pappas and Doug Alred.

Scenic Jacksonville Inc has included the notes from a recent planning meeting in with Planning Commission Member Rosemary Hines expressed her concerns about JTA's re-introduction of billboard's onto Jacksonville's roadways:

A fact that seemingly went unreported, and appeared not to matter to the Council, was that the Planning Commission actually voted 4-2 against JTA's proposed legislation at the September 24 meeting.  Public comment at the LUZ meeting and at the Council meeting was overwhelmingly opposed to the legislation, but the Council plunged forward at the request of JTA.

Scenic Jacksonville says they will use their new website to educated the public on the issues of visual pollution, such as (1) the needless weakening of the city's sign ordinance, (2) the lack of enforcement of the city's litter laws, (3) the eradication of the Landscape Commission from the City's Ordinance Code, (4) the intentional destruction of the public's trees along Jacksonvile's roadways, and (5) unequal treatment of Jacksonville's neighborhoods.

The website can be found here.

Tags: Bill Brinton, Bill Scheu, Doug Alred, Jack Diamond, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, JTA, Rosemary Hines, Scenic Jacksonville, Ted Pappas

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 10:04 AM and is filed under Local Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.