Making a billboard deal proving slippery

Common ground is hard to find among commissioners considering how to approach the toughest part of the negotiations.

By LISA GREENE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 2, 2002

Pinellas County is closer than ever to settling its long-running fight with powerful billboard companies, but this week commissioners have split over whether to sign off on settlements that would allow some billboards to remain standing for 20 years and more.

The seven member commission appears almost evenly split on proposed settlements with two companies, Lamar Advertising and Viacom Outdoor. A vote is set for March 12.

And commissioners emerged from a private meeting with their lawyers even more worried about a proposal for settling with the largest company, Eller Media.

"Commissioners are across the board on this one," said Commissioner Bob Stewart, the strongest opponent of settling.

But Commissioner Susan Latvala, who is on the county's negotiating team, said her fellow commissioners saw "the worst-case scenario" at this week's meeting, and that she expects the county to win significant concessions from Eller.

"I'm still very cautiously optimistic that we're going to reach an amicable conclusion to it," she said.

Without providing details, commissioners said Eller is asking for more concessions and for billboards to remain up longer than the other two companies. Under their proposals, Lamar and Viacom would bring a few billboards down each year, but a handful would remain up until 2025.

Just how long is longer?

"Suffice it to say, I probably wouldn't be around to enforce it," said Commission Chairwoman Barbara Sheen Todd.

The stakes on the Eller deal are higher. The company has 100 billboards involved in negotiations, while the other two companies have 55 between them.

Eller's plan is so sensitive that county lawyers didn't even give commissioners copies of the proposal. They got papers to look at -- but they had to return them before they left the closed meeting.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Eller's attorney, Lisa Dodge, wouldn't discuss the specifics, either.

"Everyone's working to get something done as fast as we can," she said.

Commissioner Calvin Harris, who said he is "very comfortable" with the Lamar and Viacom deals, has concerns about the situation with Eller.

"We've got a lot of negotiating to do and I wasn't exactly satisfied with where we appear to be going," Harris said.

Latvala and Commissioner Ken Welch also support the Lamar/Viacom proposals, while Commissioner Karen Seel said they would allow too many billboards to remain up for years. Todd said she hasn't decided.

Commissioner John Morroni said he's unsure. He's especially concerned about one provision that could allow several new billboards on Ulmerton Road east of U.S. 19, near his Feather Sound neighborhood.

"I want to put the issue to rest, but I don't know if this is the best deal we could have negotiated," Morroni said. "This issue reminds me of the Frankenstein monster. It just keeps coming back."

In 1992, commissioners passed an ordinance saying that billboards on all but a few major roads, such as I-275 and U.S. 19, had to come down in 1999. When the county tried to enforce the date, the three companies challenged the law. Lawyers have been working for months to negotiate a resolution.

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