§ 15-9. General requirements.
(a)
Signs and activities subject to Florida Building Code. Certain signs and activities are subject to the Florida Building Code. The Village's Building Official has the authority to determine which signs and activities are subject to the Florida Building Code. The construction, alteration, repair, or maintenance of all signs shall conform to the provisions established by the Florida Building Code. This includes mechanical and electrical components, as well as structural components subject to wind load standards. The Sign Permit is a zoning approval that is separate from, and shall be obtained prior to any required building permit.
(b)
Compliance with chapter and development agreements. No sign of any sort shall be erected or maintained in the Village unless the provisions of this chapter are met. Signs subject to a development agreement shall comply with any applicable development standards in such development agreement. To the extent a development agreement is silent, signs shall comply with any provisions of this chapter that are not in conflict with the development agreement.
(c)
Permission required. No person within the Village shall erect, fasten or attach or cause to be erected, fastened or attached in any way any sign upon any private property within the Village, unless legally authorized to do so by the owner of such property.
(d)
Design.
(1)
Sign face elements. A sign face may consist only of letters, numbers, punctuation symbols, and where specifically allowed by this chapter, a registered trademark or logo proportionate in size to the lettering but not to exceed 25 percent of the sign face.
(2)
Design requirements. All signs which are not approved as part of a Village approved uniform sign plan or development agreement, and are not in the Business (B) zoning district, shall comply with subsection 5.5-5(3).
(3)
Sign Type. Only those sign types identified as permitted for an individual zoning district are allowed in that zoning district.
(e)
Sign maintenance. Every sign, together with its framework, braces, angles, or other supports shall be maintained in a safe condition, properly secured, supported and braced to withstand wind pressure as required by the Florida Building Code or any other applicable regulatory code or ordinance in effect within the Village limits.
(f)
Location.
(1)
No sign or support shall be placed in such position or manner as to obstruct or interfere, either physically or visually, with any traffic control device, traffic circulation (pedestrian or vehicular), any fire alarm, police alarm, traffic signal or sign or any devices maintained by or under public authority.
(2)
No sign over a walkway shall have a vertical clearance of less than eight feet in height as measured from the bottom of the sign to the walkway.
(3)
No sign shall be located within a sight visibility triangle.
(4)
No sign shall be erected, constructed or maintained so as to obstruct any fire escape, required exit, window or door opening used as a means of egress.
(5)
No sign shall be attached in any form, shape or manner that will interfere with any opening required for ventilation.
(6)
No sign shall be erected on Village property, in a public right-of-way or in a private or public easement unless provided for in a development agreement or right-of-way license approved by the Village.
(g)
Sign removal. A sign advertising a discontinued or closed business, or a business without a business tax receipt, is prohibited, and shall be removed within 30 days of the closure of said business or expiration of business tax receipt. The sign structure may remain in place as long as it is not abandoned, as defined herein.
(h)
Status of Existing Signs. Every permanent sign that exists in the Village as of July 17, 2018 is hereby deemed legal and in conformance with the standards of this chapter. Such signs, if destroyed or damaged as a result of actions beyond the control of the sign owner, may be repaired or reconstructed in the same form so long as a building permit is obtained if one is required, and all requirements of all other state or local building codes are met. When a property owner proposes to erect a new sign, or replace an existing sign with a new sign, the new sign shall conform to the standards of this chapter. Changes in the content of a sign shall not trigger compliance with this chapter unless they involve changes to the size or type of sign.
(Ord. No. 608, § 6, 7-17-18)