For months, a truck that serves only as a mobile billboard has been driving around downtown Key West. Its days on the island may be numbered.
Lots of vehicles in Key West carry advertising — delivery trucks, taxis, tourist trolleys.
Then came the truck with the LED screens.
"We had been getting a lot of complaints about the vehicle going around town. There was a lot of concern about distracting drivers, and bicyclists and pedestrians," said Key West City Commissioner Jimmy Weekley.
Weekley has proposed a ban on mobile billboards that would apply to any vehicle whose only purpose is advertising. It's already received preliminary approval and is up for a final reading on Tuesday, July 16.
The ban would also cover billboards on the water, like the ones that have caused controversy off Miami and New York.
Key West has already received at least one inquiry about a floating billboard. Weekley says the city's jurisdiction extends 300 feet offshore.
"So if they go to 301 feet out, I guess they're safe," he said.
At that distance, he says, you’d need binoculars to see the ads from the beach.
