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Tampa City Council May Vote On Billboard Pact Thursday

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 16, 2008

TAMPA - A proposed settlement between the city council and two companies will allow the city to maintain aesthetics in high-view areas, city officials say.

But several council members, who are expected to vote on the proposal Thursday, say it would mean a proliferation of digital billboards — which look like massive television screens and display multiple advertisements — that will ruin the city's landscape and create public safety issues.

City Attorney Chip Fletcher said the settlement would require CBS Outdoors and Clear Channel Outdoors to take down billboards from high-view areas. In exchange, he said, both companies will be allowed to replace them with digital billboards in other areas.

The dispute dates to 1996, when the city signed an agreement with the companies limiting the number of billboards in the city limits. CBS and Clear Channel filed lawsuits against the city in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, challenging the agreement terms.

At issue is whether the outdoor sign companies have a right to replace billboards that the city has required them to remove over the years. Since the 1996 agreement, Clear Channel has taken down 567 billboards; CBS has removed 54. Currently, CBS has 711 permitted billboards within the city limits; Clear Channel has 129, city officials said.

The settlement spells out where the companies can put digital billboards, their sizes and other requirements and allows the companies to replace a certain number of traditional billboards with the digital ones.

Both companies have agreed to pay the city $25,000 to cover its legal expenses.

If the council OKs the settlements, they will be submitted to the circuit court for approval.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

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