Plantation council keeps school banner agreement but removes annual cap after debate

The Plantation City Council voted 3-2 on Aug. 27 to amend its interlocal agreement (ILA) with the School Board of Broward County to remove a numerical cap on temporary school banners displayed on school fences, while leaving the remainder of the ILA in effect.

Council President Reinstein and three council members who supported the amendment framed the change as a compromise: the city will continue to rely on the ILA’s rules about appearance, maintenance and safety while dropping a specific limit on the number of banner displays schools may post annually. Opponents said the cap was a modest protection for sight lines and neighborhood character and argued the school board’s enforcement record had not yet been proven.

The amendment removed the language in section 2.04 that limited the number and cumulative duration of banners schools could display. Council staff and the city attorney described the ILA as the result of a 2019 compromise intended to resolve disputes about whether temporary school signage violated the city sign code. Supporters said the school board adopted a countywide policy — Policy No. 1930 — that now includes uniform size and content rules and removal of damaged banners, and that the countywide policy reduces the need for strict numeric limits in Plantation’s agreement.

Councilmember Fadgen, who voted against the amendment, said she did not trust the school board to enforce the new policy immediately and favored keeping the city’s numeric limits until enforcement could be observed. Councilmember Horland, who led the motion to remove the cap, said limiting the number of banners constrains school fundraising and that principals would be more likely to maintain banners if the school board is enforcing the new policy.

City Attorney Esrael (transcript spelling) advised that the original ILA had been intended as a settlement to avoid litigation and that eliminating the ILA could re-open enforcement questions; staff said the city could also pursue sign-code changes through its zoning code but that doing so could create precedent and exposures where other property owners demand the same exceptions.

The roll call on the amendment was: Anderson — Yes; Andreu — Yes; Fadgen — No; Horland — No; Reinstein — Yes. The motion passed and the ILA will be amended to remove the numeric-cap language (2.04.0.01) and be renumbered accordingly. Administration said it will notify council members when the school board implements administrative approvals required under the county process.

The amendment preserves other ILA provisions including requirements that banners be uniform in size and color where required by the school board policy, that temporary signs not obstruct sight lines, and that principals be responsible for removal of damaged signage. City staff told the council they will maintain the city’s sign-code enforcement authority and will revisit sign-code language in planned code updates.

The council’s action follows an extended public conversation stretching back to 2019 and a recent school-board policy change (Policy No. 1930) that staff said addresses many of the city’s prior concerns. Supporters of the amendment emphasized the revenue role banners play for school booster organizations; opponents warned against creating a permissive precedent for other non‑school entities.

Councilmembers and staff said they will continue to monitor enforcement by the school district and will revisit the city’s sign code language in the coming weeks as city planning staff prepares broader sign-ordinance updates.