Relaxed Sign Codes Get New Restrictions

City leaders are providing more specific guidelines on how merchants may use certain signs for advertising.

An unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent or more prompted city leaders to temporarily relax city codes on certain outdoor signs this September, and on Jan. 5 officials agreed on more specific guidelines on how they can be used.

City leaders decided that so long as the unemployment rate stays above 7 percent in Pinellas County, they would relax the codes enough to allow merchants to use previously prohibited umbrella signs, flutter flags, mascot signs and vehicle wraps to advertise.

The rate in Pinellas County was an average 11.7 percent between October 2010 to November 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Officials' intent is to prevent businesses from becoming additionally hindered during tough economic times.

Here is a look at how the signs may be used:

• Umbrellas — Merchants are limited to six umbrellas, not more than five feet in diameter, that display name of the business. They may be used outside in an outside dining area during while the restaurant is open and serving patrons.
• Mascot signs — Merchants using mascots (whether in costume or not) to advertise their business are limited to two signs. The signs must be continuously held and the person must stay on the private property that is being advertised.
• Vehicle wraps — Merchants using vehicle wraps may do so only if they are permanently attached to a vehicle on or near the property being advertised. The vehicle may be put on display for a period of 12 hours adjacent to a public right of way.
• Flutter flags — Merchants are limited to two flutter flags per business. In cases where many businesses share the same building or center, the resolution states that only 25 percent of the total number of eligible flags, rounded up to the nearest whole number, may be displayed at any time.