Pasco County attorney says ordinance bars counting billboards already slated for removal; Logan Outdoor seeks clarity

Claude Logan of Logan Outdoor Advertising urged the Pasco County Board on Dec. 9 to approve a digital conversion package he said would remove six static bulletins, and asked why his application had been deferred while other companies' conversions proceeded.

Elizabeth Blair of the Pasco County Attorney's Office explained the county's ordinances and prior agreements governing billboard conversions. Blair told the board billboards that are already slated to be removed (for example, through site plans or other required removals) cannot be counted toward the removal ratio that an applicant must meet in order to convert static faces to digital. She advised the company could assemble a compliant package using other billboards it owns elsewhere in the county and submit a new application consistent with the land development code and prior agreements.

Logan said that if the board approved the current request it would lead to removal of six bulletins countywide; he also said he did not understand why his application had been deferred and asked whether he was being held to a higher standard than other firms. Commissioners said they would leave C8 on consent so the applicant's explanation could be entered into the record, and one commissioner suggested exploring emergency-use digital signage (for hurricane warnings) at future workshops.

No substantive vote on reinterpretation of the code occurred at the meeting; staff advised the applicant on the code's current requirements and the next step is to submit a revised application or a new package that demonstrates compliance with the removal-ratio rules.