09-3 Code Compliance letter
City of Miami Beach ,
1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
BUILDING D EPARTMENT Code Compliance D ivision
Tel: 305.673.7555 , Fax: 305.673.7012
Dear Candidate:
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy campaign schedule to learn about the rules and
regulations regarding the placement of elections signs within the city of Miami Beach. There are
different regulations for public property, private property, and for your Miami Beach campaign
headquarters. We urge you to review these rules with your campaign volunteers.
Public Property –
The Miami Beach City Code (MBCC) strictly prohibits the placing of signs on
It shall be unlawful for any person to paste, glue,
public property. Section 1 38 - 134(e) states: “
print, paint or to affix … to the surface of any public street, sidewalk, way or curb or to any
property of any governmental body or public utility any political sign, poster, placard or
automobile bumper strip designed or intended to advocate or oppose the nomination or election
of any candidate or the adoption or rejection of any political measure
. Code Compliance Officers
will remove the sign from the illegal location (whenever poss ible, they will attempt to contact the
adjacent property owner and request that the illegally place sign be moved to a permitted
location) . If that is not possible, s igns placed in violation will be picked up and bro ught to the
Code Compliance office. Il legally placed signs collected by Code C ompliance Officers will be
available for retrieval from that office.
Private Property –
Signs on private property must meet the sign area limitations pursuant to
Section 138 - 134 of the MBCC. The maximum sign area for election signs in the single - family
zoning districts is four (4 ) square feet (e.g., 2 feet by 2 feet; 1 foot by 4 feet, etc.). The sign area
for all other zoning districts shall not exceed one square foot per three linear feet of street
frontage, wit h a maximum sign area of not more that 75 square feet. Owners of properties that
have elections signs that exceed the maximum allowed area will first be issued warning notices.
Failure to reduce the sign area to the allowable amount will result in a citat ion and the case being
forwarded to the Special Master for a hearing. The Special Master may impose fines of up to
$1,000.00 per day per violation or in the case of a repeat violation, up to $5,000.00 per day per
violation.
Campaign Headquarters –
The Miami Beach City Code provides that campaign headquarters in
commercial or industrial districts shall not have a sign area limitation. Each candidate may have
four campaign headquarters which shall be registered with the Ci ty Clerk. I n residential districts
there shall be no more than one sign per residential building or lot, and the sign shall not exceed
four square feet .
Thank you for your attention in this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to
contact the Code Compliance Division at (305) 673 - 7555.
F: \ CLER \ CLER \ ELECTION \ 2011 General Election \ Code Compliance Candidate Letter 2010 (2).doc
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