Fort Myers, FL Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LDC § 126-23(9)
- External fixtures
- thin-line or gooseneck, aimed down
- Shielding required
- no spill onto ROW or adjacent land
- Digital billboards
- allowed under § 126-14(7)
- Variances
- none permitted from this rule
Summary
Billboards in Fort Myers may be digital and internally lit or externally lit with floodlights, but external fixtures must be thin-line or gooseneck, aimed down, and shielded from spilling onto rights-of-way or neighboring property.
(9)Illumination. Billboards may be digital and therefore illuminated internally as electronic message signs according to section 126-14(7). Billboards may also be externally lit with floodlights provided they meet the following requirements:(a)thin-line or gooseneck style with the light source directed downward on the face of the sign; and be(b)effectively shielded so as to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed into any portion of the road right-of-way or adjacent properties.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 60).
Full Breakdown
Under the Fort Myers Land Development Code § 126-23(9), billboards regulated under the city's outdoor advertising sign rules may be illuminated internally as digital electronic message signs per § 126-14(7), or lit externally with floodlights. External floodlights must be thin-line or gooseneck fixtures with the light source directed downward onto the sign face, and must be effectively shielded to keep light beams from spilling into the road right-of-way or onto adjacent properties. Billboards are only permitted on six named corridors (including Cleveland Avenue, Palm Beach Boulevard and I-75) and no variance may be granted from these illumination standards.
Violations & Fines
Violating sign chapter provisions is punishable per Sec. 1-14 of the Administrative Code; each day of violation is a separate offense, and no variance is available from illumination or other billboard standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard in Fort Myers be digitally illuminated?
What are the rules for floodlit billboards in Fort Myers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Myers
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Fort Myers to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
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