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Planning board backs easing of sign rules to allow electronic message center signs
Summary
The Tamarac Planning Board voted 4–0 to recommend that the City Commission amend the sign code to permit electronic message center (EMC) signs in specified nonresidential and certain nonresidential‑associated residential areas, subject to special‑exception review and design controls.
The Tamarac Planning Board voted 4–0 to forward a proposed text amendment to the City Commission that would remove electronic message centers (EMCs) from the city’s prohibited sign list and allow them, on a limited basis, in several zoning districts along designated arterial roads.
Senior planner Anne Johnson told the board the amendment would allow EMCs by special exception in districts including R3, MUN, MUC, MUG, NC, BP, I‑2 and RC along major arterials, and would add detailed design rules. "Electronic message centers also known as EMCs for short," Johnson said, describing the signs as electronically changing illuminated copy commonly used for gas prices, scoreboards and institutional messaging. She said the text would prohibit animation, flashing, scrolling and strobing features, set size and setback rules, require an operational contact on the sign, and include a malfunction protocol that freezes the display to a static image until repairs are made.
Board members asked about size and hours. In response to a board question about residential‑adjacent signage, Johnson said signs associated with nonresidential uses in residential districts would be smaller (the board cited a 6‑by‑7 foot maximum for such cases), while the commercial maximum discussed was "8 by 9, which is 72 square feet." Johnson also told the board that the draft text does not set hours of display; she said hours could be added as a condition during special‑exception review.
A public speaker, Steven Johnson, representing a religious institution, urged the board to move the amendment forward, saying digital signage would make it "easier" for institutions and businesses to update messages and that older manual lettering systems are difficult to maintain.
The board moved, seconded and voted to make a favorable recommendation to the City Commission. The staff presentation recommended forwarding the amendment for the City Commission’s first reading and second reading on dates noted in the staff report. The amendment would next go to the City Commission for formal consideration.
