Politics

Public service or political ads?

The presence of officeholders on state billboards raises an objection.

By STEVE BOUSQUET, Times Staff Writer
Published August 31, 2007

The $150,000 campaign has paid for billboards across the state similar to this one, in Pinellas County, urging motorists to move their cars out of harm's way after fender benders so they don't cause more accidents.
	[State Sen. Mike Fasano]

TALLAHASSEE - Billboards across Florida are urging motorists to move their cars out of harm's way after minor accidents, to avoid a second crash.

The $150,000 campaign, called "Move it, yes you can!" is paid for with tax dollars in the form of a federal grant. Various billboards feature county commissioners, a mayor, sheriff and appointed heads of the Florida Highway Patrol and its parent state agency.

To one influential legislator, the billboards promote public officials as much as public safety.

"Talk about self-promotion. It's just wild," said Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey.

Fasano monitors spending by the Highway Patrol and its parent agency, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, as chairman of a Senate budget committee that controls billions in transportation-related spending.

After seeing a billboard on a Pinellas County highway that featured Highway Patrol director Chris Knight and Electra Bustle, executive director of the highway safety agency, Fasano sharply questioned Bustle's chief of staff, Lee Ann Korst, at a legislative hearing this week.

With the Highway Patrol grappling with turnover among state troopers because of low starting salaries, and with the highway safety agency forced to cut spending because of a $1.1-billion budget shortfall, Fasano said a PR campaign featuring officials "sends the wrong message" to taxpayers.

"It's free advertising for public officials, and it's just wrong in my opinion," he said. "If we're obligated to spend $150,000 on billboards, I don't want the money."

One billboard features Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary. Another showcases Bruno Barreiro, a Miami-Dade commissioner, and a third shows Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez.

Fasano said he wasn't criticizing the Highway Patrol or Bustle, who he said is doing a good job working for Gov. Charlie Crist.

Maj. Ernesto Duarte, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said featuring high-ranking officials adds credibility to the message.

"It's not about individuals, and it's not about personalities. It's about believability in the message - to move your vehicle off the roadway," Duarte said. He said 10 to 15 percent of crashes on major highways are attributable to an earlier accident.

"Too many people are dying as a result of secondary crashes in Florida," Duarte said.

Florida law requires a motorist to make every reasonable effort to move a disabled vehicle - as long as no one is injured - to avoid disrupting traffic flow or face a possible ticket and fine.

The "move it" program began in Orlando in 2004 and expanded to Miami-Dade in 2006. That was the year the state applied for grant money, during the tenure of Fred Dickinson as executive director of the highway safety agency.

A federal grant of $250,000 paid for the messages on 214 billboards for five months. The budget for the campaign is about $150,000.

In April, the state contracted with the nonprofit Florida Outdoor Advertising Association under a no-bid or "sole source" arrangement, saying it was the only vendor that had access to billboard space in all 67 counties and that it "provides the best cost savings" to the state.

Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.

[Last modified August 31, 2007, 06:52:48]