Lawyer sues Palm Beach regarding number of political signs

Comment Up

Leslie Blackner, an environmental lawyer who was the lawyer for Save Our Neighborhood, a Lake Worth political action committee with Katie McGiveron as chair, is back in the news. It seems that Palm Beach has an ordinance limiting political signs to one and she challenged that in court.

She and her husband, Richard Stone, alleged in their suit that the ordinance as written violates the First Amendment right to free speech by restricting the number of signs to one (corner lots are allowed to put up one sign on each frontage), and limiting the display period to 30 days before an election, even when there is a primary election.

Read about it...

Here in Lake Worth we too have definite ordinances affecting political signs some of which are--

• Signs shall be removed within forty-eight (48) hours following the day of the election to which they apply. 

• Maximum height of a free standing sign is 6 feet

• Location: Only on lots where the property owner has given permission. Property owners are responsible for removal of the sign per Ordinance

• The placing of temporary political signs anywhere on public property is prohibited. Signs located on public property shall be deemed to be public property and shall be summarily removed by the city.

• Maximum area: The total aggregate sign area for all such signs on a lot shall be thirty-two (32) square feet. 

Every campaign, we have candidates accusing the other side of sign stealing. During this campaign, one of the candidates accused a re-elected commissioner of stealing his signs. More than likely, his signs were placed on public rights of way and were removed by the city.