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Billboards, car tent sales face regulation
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET, Times Staff Writer LECANTO -- The county's Planning and Development Review Board gave its blessing Thursday to a proposal that would tighten billboard restrictions and regulate tent sales, such as the used car sales sometimes held at the fairgrounds and shopping center parking lots. The planning board unanimously recommended approval of the ordinance, which now goes to the County Commission for a vote. No dates have been set for the commission's workshop and public hearing on the proposal. The measure includes the county's first regulations for tent sale vendors, requiring them to get a "temporary use permit" from the county before selling cars, fireworks, furniture, produce and other goods from a parking lot or other short-term site. The permit probably would have a small administrative fee, but it would be a far cry from the $10,000 fee that local car dealers originally suggested their out-of-town rivals pay. County officials said the fee must be based on its expenses to process the permit. The permitting process should ensure that sales last no longer than 14 days and visiting vendors have permission to use the property, Development Services director Gary Maidhof said. "It does not in any way prohibit (temporary sales), but it provides the ground rules for it," Maidhof told the planning board. Say goodbye, however, to the giant dinosaurs and gorillas. Those inflated characters, often seen at the car sales, as well as balloons, banners and flashing lights, would be prohibited at the temporary sales sites under the ordinance. The measure would not require a permit for yard sales, car washes and other short-term activities for charitable, educational or nonprofit groups. Garage sales would be limited, however, to three days at a time, and only seven days a year. "That's an attempt to prevent the perpetual yard sales we see occasionally," Maidhof said. Based on recommendations by the county's Billboard Task Force, the ordinance also tightens the restrictions for billboards along the less-traveled roads. It would shrink the size of new billboards along the minor roads -- County Road 488, County Road 490, County Road 39 and County Road 48 -- from 382 square feet to 300 square feet. The maximum height for new billboards along those roads would drop from 35 to 25 feet. The ordinance would also spread out the billboards along those roads, requiring them to be at least 3,000 feet apart instead of 2,000 feet apart, if they are on the same side of the road. Existing billboards, however, would not be affected. Billboards along the major roads -- U.S. 41, U.S. 19, U.S. 98, State Road 44, State Road 200, County Road 486 and County Road 491 -- would keep their current size constraints. Those billboards could keep up to 382 square feet of advertising space and be up to 35 feet tall. "It's a good balance between what's right and what's good for the county," planning board member James Kellner said.
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