JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Since digital billboards came to Jacksonville five years ago, multiple lawsuits have been filed by the group Scenic Jacksonville against various outdoor advertising companies and the city. On Wednesday, Mayor Alvin Brown signed a new law allowing those companies to keep existing digital signs and even put up new ones to replace old signs.
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The mayor took action after city council Tuesday approved a settlement agreement that was years in the making.
In exchange, 26 local roads will be billboard-free within the next 15 years and all new roads will never see any billboards at all. The ordinance includes additional regulations along interstates and major thoroughfares.
"If they're going to be an annoyance then I don't think it should be tolerated," said Kevin Battles.
Battles lives in Arlington near multiple billboards, and he has mixed feelings. While some say they're an eyesore, he believes they're necessary to promote local businesses and attract tourists.
"It all depends on the location," Battles told Action News. "I believe they can be good, but needless to say I wouldn't want one in my backyard."
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