Sarasota's sign code follows the content-neutral framework required by Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015). Residential political/issue signs are protected under the First Amendment and the Zoning Code Sec. VII-101 et seq., with neutral physical-attribute limits (size, illumination, structural standards) rather than content-based restrictions.
After Reed v. Town of Gilbert, Sarasota's sign code regulates signs by physical attributes - size, height, illumination, materials, placement - rather than by message content. Residential temporary signs (including political signs) are typically allowed up to 6 square feet in single-family zones. Signs cannot be placed in the public right-of-way (FDOT and City prohibition), cannot be illuminated to neighbors' annoyance, cannot block sight triangles at driveways/intersections, and cannot be attached to utility poles or street trees. Time-window limits previously tied to election dates have been removed as content-based; durational rules now apply uniformly to all temporary signs.
Right-of-way sign placement is removed by the City without compensation. Code Compliance violations on private property carry up to $500 per offense (Sec. 1-11), but content-based enforcement risks federal civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. §1983.
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