Davie Council adopts ordinances allowing limited digital billboards along I‑75 despite opposition

The Davie Town Council voted to approve three code amendments that permit off‑premise digital billboard displays along the I‑75 corridor, moving forward rules that supporters said could be used for emergency and town messaging and that opponents said would add hazardous and unwanted visual clutter.

Council member Susan Starkey, who led the opposition during public discussion, said the displays are a dangerous distraction. “I most definitely do not want these digital displays,” Starkey said, adding that drivers “do not have time to read the digital displays, and sometimes it’s very distracting for them to see them.”

The council considered three related ordinances (items 26–28): an amendment to the town’s prohibited‑signs section, an amendment addressing off‑premise signs, and a new section creating off‑premise digital signs. Debate ranged from requests for tighter separation from residences to whether the devices could be required to carry emergency notifications for the town.

Mayor Paul, who put the item on the agenda, framed the proposals as narrowly tailored to the I‑75 corridor and as an opportunity for the town to contract for screen time that could include emergency and public‑service messages. Council discussion emphasized that passage of the ordinances does not approve any specific billboard sites or vendors; those would be subject to separate applications and a council vote. Town staff and the town attorney described the ordinances as legally sufficient.

Vice Mayor Hatton and Council members Whitman and Lewis voted in favor of the ordinances; Starkey voted no. In roll calls during the meeting, each of the three ordinances passed on 4–1 votes with Starkey dissenting.

Supporters said the proposed rules raise minimum distance separations from residential properties along I‑75 (from the usual 150 feet to a minimum of 500 feet) and would limit the number of digital structures in the corridor (the draft language allowed up to two signs, with at least 10,000 feet between them). The mayor and supporters also said applicants would be required to specify how their proposals would “benefit the town,” and that the council could require a set amount of screen time for town emergency notices or community events as part of any application.

Opponents repeatedly urged delay or a workshop. Starkey said she had researched prior council decisions rejecting digital billboards and that residents along I‑75 had long opposed additional signage. “We fought those to make sure that there wouldn't be additional ones that would be added,” she said, and asked why staff had brought the matter forward now. Staff and the town attorney responded that no state legislative change compelled the update and that the town periodically reviews and updates ordinances.

The council did not identify any pending vendor applications during the meeting; members emphasized that any future applications would come back to the council for site‑specific approval. After the final roll call the mayor declared the motions passed.

The ordinances will take effect as provided in their text; specific implementation — vendor selection, site certification and any negotiated public‑benefit commitments — will be decided in subsequent council proceedings.