Planning board recommends special exception for 50‑foot digital billboard on Sawgrass Expressway parcel

The Tamarac Planning Board voted 5‑0 to recommend the City Commission approve a special exception permitting a 14‑by‑48‑foot digital billboard mounted about 50 feet high on a city‑owned parcel just west of the Sawgrass Expressway and north of Commercial Boulevard.

Attorney Mitchell Caesar and Robert Rubin, chief executive officer of 3n Outdoor Media, presented the proposal and said the sign would be sited on an underused city parcel well away from residential areas. They described a license agreement that would generate recurring revenue for the city, provide a set number of monthly advertisement slots to the municipality for public messaging, and reserve capacity for emergency and public‑safety messages.

Why it matters: The sign is proposed on city property and would be visible to drivers on the Sawgrass Expressway. Proponents said the location is more than the minimum separation distance from nearby homes (the presenters said the nearest residence is roughly 2,200 feet away) and that the sign would support city messaging during emergencies, Amber/Silver alerts and traffic incidents.

Key points from the presentation and board discussion: - Sign specifications: two faces forming a shallow V to read northbound and southbound traffic; each face 14 feet by 48 feet; installed at about 50 feet above ground level; static ads that cycle (presenter said ads change every ~8 seconds) and no animation to avoid driver distraction. - Location and spacing: presenters said the site is on city‑owned property and is well removed from residential neighborhoods; current city ordinance (Ordinance 2504) authorizes signs on selected city‑owned parcels adjacent to major expressways. - Permits and approvals: presenters said a state permit will be required and will be obtained; the applicant also must secure local approvals and a license agreement with the city. The sign manufacturer and technology were described at the hearing; presenters said a typical installation takes about seven days. - Revenue and local advertising: an agreement included a guaranteed payment to the city (the meeting record shows an initial payment of $30,000 in the first year or 25% of net advertising revenue) and a commitment to provide reserved inventory for city messaging. The applicant said discounted inventory would be made available to Tamarac small businesses; staff told the board that the license agreement will be revised to explicitly reference Tamarac businesses for the discounted local slots. - Content controls: the license agreement and staff said the city will prohibit unauthorized content (examples noted in the record include tobacco/vaping, marijuana, adult entertainment, hate speech) and that the city manager has authority to require removal of unauthorized material within 24 hours. - Environmental and traffic impacts: presenters said the site is a perimeter road adjacent to the Everglades and an FPL station, that lighting is directed toward the expressway and the billboard uses ambient light sensors to adjust brightness day and night; they said there will be minimal environmental or traffic impacts and that the site will be set back from future roadway widening.

Board action and next steps: Board member Alexandra Alvarez moved the recommendation; Mara English seconded. The motion passed on a 5‑0 roll call (Nicole Claire, Alexandra Alvarez, Eugene Bell Clark, Mara English and Athalee Soman voted yes). The recommendation will be forwarded to the City Commission for final action. Presenters and staff said the city will receive license payments upon construction and that both state and local permits are required before operation.

The board also discussed community benefits in the license agreement: reserved monthly community messaging slots, emergency messaging capability and a lower‑cost advertising option intended to encourage Tamarac businesses to advertise on the sign.

The board record contains the license agreement and staff backup that describe the revenue model, content restrictions and reserved city inventory for public messaging; the City Commission will consider the special exception and the license agreement at a future public hearing.