Beach resident unhappy over sign ordinance
To the editor:
At a previous reading of the Island Sand Paper newspaper, I found that Mr. Frank Shockey ascertains that there are about 80 signs out of compliance with the Islands approximately 8 year old sign ordinance.
I believe the city was helped in developing this sign ordinance by an owner of a sign company, who received no monetary fee for his help, but certainly expected to receive some future business. This may or not have been a “conflict of interest.”
The fact of the matter is the city took the easy way out by mandating almost every sign on the Island to be out of compliance. They did not care if they punished the safe and suitable with those who had signs that were unsafe and unsightly.
Those city employees who were paid by our tax dollars, were not motivated (read lazy) to traverse the Island and site owners with dangerous or unsightly signs. Because of their all serving ordinance, signs that will withstand a hurricane, signs that are safe and well lit, signs that are well landscaped and nice to look at, are deemed to be out of compliance, with a cost burden to tear down and replace.
Perhaps after 8 years this is why so many owners are still hoping the city will realize the unfairness of this ordinance. Money does not grow on trees, and replacing safe and sightly signs to meet this unjust ordinance is like throwing it out of a window. Wake up Ft. Myers Beach. How about using some common sense. Just because a past council did not do their job does not mean that you should follow in their footsteps.