Residents win rollback on ordinance for huge LED signs in Downtown Miami

City will seek action against existing sign at PAMM

After hearing from more than 65 residents from all five city districts speak against the mega LED billboards on public land, and then taking a long break for lunch, Miami Commissioners voted Thursday 4-1 to rollback the ordinance that allows the mega signs in the downtown area

Finally.

Only Commissioner Manolo Reyes voted against it, in protest. Because it still allowed the PAMM sign to stay, for now, and he has been against the signs from the beginning.

It was a confusing discussion, where Commissioner Miguel Gabela first offered an amendment that mirrored the April amendment passed 3-2 by Chairwoman Christine King and written by the lobbyist for Orange Barrel Media, which allowed carve-outs for the signs to stay at PAMM and the Arsht. Gabela’s simply took out the Arsht, which is moot because they have withdrawn their request for a permit from the city after the county said, “Woah Nelly. We have jurisdiction here.” But Gabela left in the limitations on hours of operations, brightness and content in King’s amendment.

But Pardo navigated the chaos like a veteran, doing the smartest thing and supporting his colleagues’ efforts to regulate the existing signs, but said those regulations could be added to the repeal so residents could get both immediate relief and longterm security. He explained that he and City Attorney George Wysong had identified “a path to bring down the PAMM sign,” through possible lease provisions and/or violations to force the museum to remove it in the future. And Wysong was given instructions to seek such a path. But he would not have been able to if the ordinance was passed with King’s amendment to carve out the PAMM. That would have helped protect the sign, Wysong said.

And boy did King try to save it anyway.

This was the fifth or sixth time that there were public comments on the repeal of the ordinance. A few folks in yellow shirts likely provided by PAMM, whose staffers wore the same shirts, defended the “media installations.” Except about half of those were PAMM employees looking for job security.

The crowd was overwhelmingly anti sign and included notable speakers like State Rep. Vicky Lopez (R-DISTRICT), Monty Trainer, at least two former commission candidates and even Dr. Philip Frost, educator and philanthropist who founded the Frost Museum of Science, via a video, saying basically that this was not the place for such a sign and how it would take away from the visitor experience at the museum with his name on it.

Other Frost employees spoke about the effect to animals and the rooftop star-gazing programs.

But what really happened Thursday was much bigger than a repeal and it has been unfolding through the three months that Pardo tried to correct the wrong committed by a former commissioner who took nearly $300,000 from the digital sign company behind this business and who was later arrested on unrelated public corruption charges on another matter that seems exceedingly similar.

The citizenry is waking up, getting smarter. This issue brought new people out to join the regularly engaged residents who are staples at City Hall. Many people said that this was not about the signs.

“This is a battle between public interest and special interest,” said former candidate Marvin Tapia. “If the people are asking for something, it’s what you should be doing.”

“We ask over and over again to have our voices heard, for you to not bow down to special interests and bullies who threaten to sue,” a woman said.

Britt Sager said the commissioners were “tone deaf.”

“What’s at issue here is the heart and soul of our community,” said Brandon Jones.

John Dolson quoted the famous line from Cool Hand Luke — “What we have here is a failure to communicate” — but he gave it a twist. “We don’t have a problem communicating. You don’t listen.”

One resident said the allowing the amendment that capitulates to the sign company would be “endorsing a pay-to-play system that we all know will benefit you in your future campaigns.” This refers to the $276,500 that was funneled to former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who sponsored the ordinance to allow the giant signs, by Orange Barrel Media through political action committees. ADLP was arrested in September for bribery through PAC contributions in a different pay-to-play scenario.

Said another: “What is happening here is a lot of commissioners got paid off.”

Dani Rivera, an independent campaign finance watchdog who follows the money, provided direct lines of donations made by Orange Barrel Media to several political action committees, totaling more than $600K in four years.

“This is a referendum on the Miami mafia,” said award-winning filmmaker, Carollo nemesis and city activist Billy Corben. “You have to decide whose side you’re on. The people’s? Or the mafia’s?”

“This issue is not about support of the arts. It’s a little bit shameful for people to present it as such,” said political pollster and D2 voter Fernand Amandi. He reminded Gabela — who had sided with King on the April amendment — that the commissioner has traditionally and proudly deferred to the interests of a district colleague for their items. “In this case, I’m asking you to please consider supporting the D2 commissioner who has to be accountable to the voters in that district,” Amandi said.

Several other speakers had also directed themselves at the D1 commissioner, thinking he was the swing vote and asking him to “do the right thing.”

Said Gabela, at one point: “Duly noted.”

And it appears that it was duly noted. Everyone thought Gabela was going to vote for the alleged “compromise” as a favor to his friend and campaign funder, former State Rep. Manny Prieguez, a lobbyist who registered to advocate for Orange Barrel Media in January — two months after the guy he helped elect was sworn in — and who apparently helped King’s staff write the amendment to the ordinance. But Gabela didn’t do that.

The gangster commissioner, as Ladra has named him because of his Tony Soprano demeanor, always said that he was only worried about potential litigation that could put the city at risk for millions of dollars and wanted some way to regulate the signs while they existed. He was swayed by Pardo and Wysong on Thursday to vote with the repeal and the additional regulations.

“I just want regulations and I don’t want to be sued,” he said.

The only person who immediately seemed unhappy with the outcome — other than the lobbyists and the PAMM people, certainly — was Downtown Neighbors Association President James Torres, who said it was a failure to revoke what was obviously an illegal permit. Nothing else but full revocation would satisfy Torres, who has been front and center on this battle.

Did he not hear about the path to removal being through the lease agreement? Maybe it doesn’t fit his narrative.

The former D2 candidate, who later came to endorse Pardo for the runoff against former Commissioner Sabina Covo, has been hitting Pardo every chance he gets, as if he’s preparing to challenge him in three and a half years.

Most of the other residents saw Thursday’s decision as a victory, at last.

Let’s hope they don’t go back to sleep.

billboards, Christine King, Damian Pardo, Miguel Gabela

Residents win rollback on ordinance for huge LED signs in Downtown Miami added by Ladra on May 24, 2024
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