History

NOTE:

Original news sources often move their materials online and have an archive service that you can use to retrieve articles that are no longer accessible by the  links below.  These original references will aid in retrieving those articles.

“Activists Aim to Break Guinness Record to Protest Miami’s Lacking Green Space”, Miami New Times, August 7, 2015

“Billboard tower becoming Miami’s latest political football “, Miami Herald, July 27, 2015

“Lying to the Public, One Misleading Image at a Time”, Crespogram – June 9, 2015

“New laws could complicate plans for Miami billboard tower”, Miami Herald – June 24, 2015

“Miami groups fight for 4-acre parkland behind American Airlines Arena”, Local10.com – June 9, 2015

Highlight: Cover Story – Biscayne Times Article

“Billboard Jungle – Outdoor advertising is Miami’s crack cocaine: The money gets you high, but one day it’ll kill you”, Biscayne Times – August, 2013

“We deface our skyline and label it aesthetic ‘enhancement’, Miami New Times – March 29, 2012

Cities will not be able to opt out of the County billboard regulations. Scenic Miami’s Bill Pollak quoted in this New Times Article: “County Puts the Brakes on Miami’s Bid to Cover Every Vertical Surface With Advertising”, Miami New Times – July 14, 2011

“Bruno the Dim Loses One for the Billboard Industry”, Miami New Times – July 14, 2011

“Miami-Dade County To Keep Control Over Billboard Regulation”, Miami Herald – July 13, 2011

Highlight: Major Victory!

The Federal Highway Administration found that the City of Miami’s mural advertisement ordinance violates the federal Highway Beautification Act in terms of sign size, spacing and lighting. All signs including billboards must be included in meeting the 2500 feet spacing requirements. This throws a major wrench into the City’s visual pollution assault on us.

One of our founders, Peter Ehrlich, has often said: “Mural ads were just a loophole for companies to evade the Federal Highway Beautification Act.” Turns out he was right; the loophole has been closed.

You can click on these links to see both the Federal letter of June 17, 2011 and the relevant Miami Herald article .

Highlight: Radio Program

Scenic Miami’s Peter Ehrlich and Lobbyist Dusty Melton were on WLRN’s Tropical Currents program 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. Click here for MP3 Audio

Highlight: “Giant Billboards On Vacant Hotel By I-95 Must Come Down, Court Says”

“For years, a vacant 10-story hotel along Interstate 95 has served — in blatantly illegal fashion, according to the state of Florida and Miami-Dade County — as a colossal billboard, draped top-to-bottom with banners promoting beer, Caribbean tourism and, in recent weeks, county mayoral candidate Julio Robaina.

But the City Inn hotel’s owner, Malibu Lodging Investments, has repeatedly fought off orders to take the signs down, instead waging a protracted legal battle while continuing to make money from the billboards.

Now an appeals court has handed the county a clear-cut victory that may put an end to the legal fracas, ruling that the signs must come down….” Read entire article below:

Read Article Here, Miami Herald – June 3, 2011

Additional Article List

“Our Mayors Are Blind to Illegal Signs. Guest Blog by Peter Ehrlich, Jr. “, EyeOnMiami.blogspot.com, March 18, 2014

“The Miami performing arts center. By Geniusofdespair”, EyeOnMiami.blogspot.com, March 16, 2014

“Rio de Janeiro stripping ‘visual pollution,’ targets massive billboards, other ads along beach”, Washington Post – May 03,2012

“Miami considers selling advertising space on public buildings, fire hydrants, rights-of-way”, Miami Herald – April 25,2012

“Press Release from public citizen”, Public Citizen Press Release – April 26, 2012

“Miami commissioners kill proposed bill to allow ads on buildings, rights-of-way”, Miami Herald – April 19, 2012

“Are City Commissioners Desperate, Insensitive or Greedy?”, Miami Today – April 19, 2012

“Big Beer Banner Stirs Debate”, NBC Miami – December 12, 2011

“Other Views: Mayor Gimenez, just enforce the billboard law by Peter Ehrlich”, Miami Herald – Sept 17, 2011

“County Puts the Brakes on Miami’s Bid to Cover Every Vertical Surface With Advertising”, Miami New Times – July 14, 2011

“Bruno the Dim Loses One for the Billboard Industry”, Miami New Times – July 14, 2011

“Miami-Dade County To Keep Control Over Billboard Regulation”, Miami Herald – July 13, 2011

“Miami-Dade County To Keep Control Over Billboard Regulation”, Miami Herald – July 13, 2011

“U.S. Officials Disallow Miami’S Downtown Ad Murals”, Miami Herald – July 1, 2011

“Scenic Miami-Dade County Fights Spam on a Stick”, SunPost Weekly – June 16, 2011

Highlight: Peter Ehrlich on WLRN

Scenic Miami’s Peter Ehrlich and Lobbyist Dusty Melton were on WLRN’s Tropical Currents program 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. Click here for MP3 Audio

“Letter to the Editor: Visual Assult by Peter Ehrlich”, Miami Herald – June 5, 2011

“Giant Billboards On Vacant Hotel By I-95 Must Come Down, Court Say”, Miami Herald – June 3, 2011

“Developer Mark Siffin wants community agency funds to acquire land for billboard towers”, Daily Business Review – May 4, 2011

“Barbara Bisno on Channel 10 News: Billboards Coming to Miami”, Local10.com, WPLG – February 25, 2011

“The Siffin Proposed Dual Mega-Media Towers by Beatriz Baldanrice”, Urban Environmental League – December 24, 2011

“City Square is no Times Square”, Robin Bachin, Past President, Society for American City and Regional Planning History, Palmetto Bay – August 8, 2010

“Miami Commission Approves Towering Digital Billboards”, Miami Herald – July 7, 2010

“Commission Approves Massive Electronic Billboards Downtown, But Are They Legal?”, Miami New Times – July 29, 2010

“Mark Siffin: Times Square in Miami”, Miami New Times – November 4, 2011

 

Scenic Miami