I’ve received alerts today from both 1000 Friends of Florida and the Florida Trail Association regarding a misguided bill about to pass the Florida House and Senate.
Read the bills here: SB 268 and HB 181
The bill would permit advertising anywhere along Florida’s trails and Greenways. If you’re opposed to this action – it’s been couched in the guise of “raising funds for public lands” by allowing commercial sponsorship ON our public lands – please ACT NOW and contact your representative via phone or email immediately.
Here are the details:
A damaged Senate Bill that affects signs on state Greenways and trails is headed to the House. Please urge your Representative to reject SB 268 and only enact HB 181 without the amendment to expand the number of locations of these advertizing signs. Stakeholders negotiated in good faith to remove many potential sign locations from the bill and their agreement should be upheld.
SB 268 and HB 181 originally would have allowed a proliferation of advertising signs on state owned Greenways and trails. They were amended in committees (thanks to the efforts of trail, conservation, and scenic Florida groups) to limit signage to trail sponsorship signs on 7 named rail-trails in parking lots, at trailheads, and designated public access areas.
The Senate broke faith with the above agreement. On the floor they amended SB 268 to allow such signage on other state owned Greenway and trail properties.
Please urge your Representative to reject SB 268 and enact HB 181 without amendment.
I guarantee that I would never shop from anyone obnoxious enough to advertise on our trails. That would be an instant turn-off. The people who wouldn’t find it off-putting and offensive? Well, they’re not using those trails and Greenways, are they? Foolishness.