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Homestead council approves one‑year window sign compliance period amid small‑business complaints
Summary
Council advanced a first‑reading ordinance establishing a one‑year compliance window for certain window‑sign violations and directed a workshop on broader sign code reforms after public testimony from small business owners who said enforcement is harming downtown merchants.
The Homestead City Council voted June 2 to advance a first‑reading ordinance creating a temporary extended compliance program for existing window‑sign violations under section 23‑85(d). The ordinance provides a one‑year compliance period before referral to the special magistrate for qualifying existing violations, and preserves underlying code requirements.
Small‑business owner Robert Hazard, owner of Quasar Computers for 16 years, told the council he has been cited repeatedly for an A‑frame sign and said the enforcement has threatened leases and revenue. “Small businesses like mine have helped Homestead grow,” Hazard said, urging a more permanent solution and an indefinite delay until code revisions could be prepared.
Council members split on the best approach. Supporters of the ordinance said the one‑year amortization gives businesses time to comply and prevents abrupt financial losses; critics urged an RFP/workshop approach, or a moratorium on enforcement while a code rewrite proceeds. Several council members raised officer safety concerns about full window coverings and discussed possible exemptions or micro‑areas to permit more display while preserving visibility for police.
The council voted to move the ordinance forward and directed staff to schedule a workshop on sign code reform and to consider abeyance for existing violations. The ordinance will return with final language and implementation specifics.
Next steps: staff to schedule a sign‑code workshop, compile examples from other municipalities, and return with proposed amendments and enforcement guidance.
(Reporting based on council discussion and public comments at the June 2 meeting.)
