Miami has a chance to fight Downtown’s LED signs, if corporate interests don’t prevail | Opinion
The Miami City Commission should do the right thing at its Thursday meeting and support the original ordinance I introduced to disallow disruptive new LED signage in Downtown. This is not only a fight against visual pollution — it is an opportunity to prove to our residents that City Hall is not for sale.
I was elected in November 2023 with Commissioner Miguel Gabela because voters wanted citizen-centric elected officials, not business as usual in the Magic City. Residents in District 2 have spoken out overwhelmingly against the LED signs placed at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and applied for at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. The Biscayne Neighborhoods Association, the Downtown Development Authority, the Flagler Business Improvement District, the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, the Frost Museum of Science, and numerous vertical communities have also publicly opposed the signs and demanded action from their city government.
Special interests
Unfortunately, the story of how these signs came about suggests that special interests used campaign contributions to change city policy without regard for residents’ quality of life or the character of their neighborhood.
In 2023, former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s political committee received $225,000 in campaign contributions from “Truth is the Daughter of Time,” a political action committee operated by former City of Miami District 2 Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who’s now a lobbyist for Orange Barrel Media, the company that installed and operated the signs. Most of the funds in Sarnoff’s committee came from Orange Barrel, the Herald reported.
Before he was removed from office following his arrest on corruption-related charges in September, Diaz de la Portilla introduced an ordinance allowing these 1,800 sq.ft. signs to be installed at the PAMM and potentially the Arsht Center. The Diaz de la Portilla ordinance circumvented existing regulations and nearly doubled the billboards’ state mandated maximum size and height requirements.
These signs are larger in size than most homes in the area. They are incredibly disruptive to residents and drivers who, due to their brightness and the potential for them to distract, also represent a safety hazard.
Lobbying for a carve out
In response to residents’ concerns, my office requested an investigation, and I subsequently introduced legislation to repeal the Diaz de la Portilla ordinance. However, this was met with fierce resistance from powerful lobbyists who have worked tirelessly to secure carve-outs for existing billboard applications at the Arsht Center and protect the PAMM.
These carve-outs were granted at an April 23 commission meeting over our objections in District 2 and overwhelming public opposition. Consistent informal polling from our office showed more than 80% of respondents were against these giant billboards.
This blatant disregard for the residents’ concerns underscores the need for taxpayer participation. This situation should serve as a clarion call for the city of Miami to move away from special interest-driven policy making and more towards a resident/taxpayer centered approach.
The PAMM and Arsht Center argue that advertising revenue from these billboards is necessary to continue funding their operations. I am happy and willing to work with both institutions to identify new ways to generate income. However, these signs installed at the neighborhood’s expense are not the vehicle for that.
For Miami to focus on its residents and prioritize their needs, we need you. We need your engagement, your voice, and your passion. I urge everyone to speak at the Miami City Hall on May 23 at 9:30 a.m. Let’s send a message to the special interests that Miami is not for sale and that residents’ quality of life is paramount.
Commissioner Damian Pardo was elected in November 2023 to represent Miami’s District 2, which stretches from Coconut Grove to Brickell, Downtown, Edgewater and Morningside.
