BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Some Brooksville artists are a bit concerned following the Community Redevelopment Agency's unanimous decision to change their city’s ordinance regarding signs and murals.
What You Need To Know
- Current murals grandfathered in, but new murals will require steps
- Local artists frustrated by ordinance change
- More Hernando County headlines
Existing murals around town are grandfathered in so they will stay, but artists who wish to paint a new mural that takes up more than 10% of the wall will no longer be able to in Brooksville.
Allisa Babor is a local artist in town who has visions of displaying more art downtown, and she said now she can’t because of this new ordinance.
“In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court kind of turned sign ordinances upside down," City Attorney Becky Vose said.
What she is referring to is Supreme Court case Reed vs. Town of Gilbert Arizona which prohibits the display of outdoor signs without a permit.
Right now in the city, only historic murals need to get the approval of the City Council, but under the new regulation, every mural has to get a permit which will cost money and will have to follow the code ordinance for a sign.
“What Reed v Gilbert said is the city can’t regulate other people based upon content,” Vose added.
New murals will require a permit under a revised ordinance.
“We all need to be on the same page and we need to stay consistent with what the Supreme Court has said,” City Planner Steve Goldman said.
Babor mentioned, “If somebody wants to invest in their building and hire an artist to paint something, that is of course appropriate within those lines. They should be able to do so.”
Under the “sign” ordinance, only one freestanding or detached signs shall be permitted on the premises.
“We have a lot of generous people that are trying to make our city reach its full potential,” Babor said, “But they are repeatedly being told no over and over again. Eventually they may not want to stay in Hernando, they may not want to stay in Brooksville.
Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to the City Manager and the City Planner for an on camera interview and they both declined. The CRA passed the change along to the city council for approval. The council will look to approve the change in the next upcoming meetings.