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Flamingo Motel seeks sign variance; mayor urges smaller design under city sign ordinance
Summary
Charles Johnson requested a variance for a freestanding sign for the Flamingo Motel that would exceed the city’s freestanding sign limits; the mayor urged the applicant to reduce the size and the board heard the request but the final recorded vote is not specified in the transcript.
Charles Johnson asked the Port St. Joe Plan Development Review Board Jan. 7 for a variance to install a larger freestanding sign for the Flamingo Motel along Highway 98.
“I'm coming for a board. I'm trying to get a sign variance for the little Pink Flamingo Motel,” Johnson said, describing a sign that reaches about 21 feet to the top of a decorative star. Johnson said the motel property sits roughly 4½ to 5 feet below the road, which would make the sign appear lower from the highway.
Mayor (name not given) reminded the board that the city’s sign ordinance was adopted after public workshops and said many existing signs in town were grandfathered in. The mayor urged Johnson to consider downsizing the sign so it would better match the ordinance and suggested working with staff on a scaled design, even if that meant returning for a variance later.
Planning staff referenced Section 6.4 of the land development regulations. Under the freestanding sign rules discussed at the meeting, the ordinance limits freestanding sign area and height; the staff summary in the meeting said a typical maximum is 32 square feet and 14 feet high, with no part of a freestanding sign higher than the principal building in most cases.
Board member comments ranged from aesthetic support — describing the proposed sign as “good looking” and potentially popular with visitors — to concern about consistency with the ordinance. Charles Johnson and the mayor discussed lowering the effective height by siting the sign closer to existing grade.
A motion to approve the variance was made and seconded during the meeting, but the transcript does not clearly record the board’s final roll or voice vote result for this item. The mayor and other board members said they would work with Johnson if he chose to reduce the sign size and return for a variance.
The transcript did not specify permit conditions, setbacks, a final approved size, or any required revisions to the design.
