Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement Signs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Deerfield Beach adopts ordinance to enforce snipe/temporary signs on city property, adds warning and contest process
Summary
On second reading the commission approved an ordinance to create enforcement mechanisms and penalties for snipe signs placed on public rights of way or city property, adding officer discretion to issue warnings for first‑time or mitigating circumstances and clarifying a 15‑day contest/hearing right.
The Deerfield Beach City Commission unanimously approved a second‑reading ordinance on Dec. 2 to strengthen enforcement against snipe signs and unauthorized temporary signage in public rights of way.
The ordinance amends sections 2‑377 and 2‑378 of the city code to provide an additional enforcement mechanism and a schedule of civil penalties for temporary signs placed on city property or within the public right of way. At second reading the city attorney summarized two changes made after the first reading: first, giving code enforcement officers discretion to issue a warning without a fine to first‑time offenders when mitigating circumstances exist; second, making explicit that a person may request a hearing to contest a citation within 15 days.
Why it matters: The change gives code enforcement clearer authority to pursue repeat or out‑of‑area commercial signers while providing procedural safeguards for inadvertent errors, such as a homeowner or faith‑based group that misplaces a permitted sign onto adjacent public property.
Commission discussion focused on scope and constitutional limits. Commissioner Shanetzky asked whether churches or synagogues would be exempt; the city attorney said the ordinance does not carve out specific private entities and emphasized the mitigating‑circumstance provision is intended to address inadvertent placement. The city attorney also cautioned that the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Town of Gilbert v. Reed places limits on content‑based distinctions in sign regulation, so the city must avoid unconstitutional classifications.
Vice Mayor Preston said he supported the ordinance but had lingering concerns about discretionary enforcement; Commissioner Plow praised the clarification and the new enforcement tools for addressing out‑of‑city businesses placing signs in Deerfield Beach right of way.
The motion to approve passed on roll call with Commissioners Hudak, Plaut, Shanetzky, Vice Mayor Preston and Mayor Drozsky voting Yes. The ordinance text and the amendments will be published and the city’s code‑enforcement procedures updated to reflect the new warning and contest processes.
