Board denies billboard spacing/height variance for 601 North U.S. Highway 1

The Fort Pierce Board of Adjustment denied a request for a spacing and height variance to install a 25‑foot billboard at 601 North U.S. Highway 1 after a public hearing and board deliberation.

City planning staff explained sign code provisions (chapter 1‑17) governing off‑premise signs and minimum distances between billboards. Staff reported that the proposed billboard site is about 0.12 acres, located within 1,300 feet of an existing 25‑foot billboard on the opposite side of U.S. 1, and that none of the five variance criteria had been satisfied based on the submitted materials. Staff also noted the parcel lies inside the city's Community Redevelopment Agency (CRE) district, and said the proposed use did not align with the CRE vision for economic, social or aesthetic improvements.

Savannah Prophet, representing property owner Leslie Prophet, urged the board to approve the variance, arguing the existing northbound billboard and the proposed southbound billboard are physically separated by a railroad corridor and a raised median and therefore do not create visual overlap. "We're asking for a fair opportunity to use this property productively in a way that aligns with the city's standard and benefits both the landowner and the community," Prophet said, adding that her family needs revenue to pay property taxes and that the applicants were willing to make design or landscaping concessions.

Board members questioned how the sign‑spacing rules (500 feet vs. 5,000 feet) apply depending on sign area and whether CRE policy should bar a variance. Planning staff said the CRE designation does not automatically prohibit a variance but that the board would need to find the variance criteria satisfied to override code restrictions. Following deliberation, a motion to deny the application was made and seconded. After a roll‑call vote that included recorded yes votes from Mr. Drummond, Mr. Chris and Chair Galinis and a recorded no from Miss Mendez, the motion to deny passed.

Chair members and staff thanked the applicant for presenting; staff and board members noted the difficulty of meeting the strict variance criteria for off‑premise billboards and referenced a recent, similar case on Avenue Q that had been denied.