Signs of clutter

By The Tampa Tribune
Published: July 29, 2009

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TAMPA --

Hillsborough County is sending a message about roadside advertising: If it's illegal, it will be gone.

Fifty code enforcement officers gathered Tuesday morning to take part in the effort to rid roadways of the visual clutter. In the first 10 minutes of the quest, one team collected more than 15 signs along Lumsden Road. The total by later in the day was more than 2,000 signs countywide.

The signs are found at just about every busy intersection in the county and advertise everything from homes for sale to get-rich-quick schemes.

Code enforcement officials say the signs are not only an eyesore, they also distract motorists. They say they could also become dangerous in a hurricane or high winds if they are blown from the ground and hit someone.

Last year, code enforcement officials removed more than 47,000 such signs from rights of way in unincorporated Hillsborough.

A staff report