SEBASTIAN — The future of Sebastian’s Façade, Signage and Landscaping Grant Review Committee seems uncertain, based on strong dissatisfaction and frustration recently voiced by members of City Council, city staff and the committee itself.
Signs that changes are likely were easy to read during recent Council and committee meetings.
The common complaint is that the FSL has wandered away from its original mission: awarding grants to help business owners renew or replace run-down, damaged and/or non-complying signage, façades and landscaping, and to ensure they support the City’s character as a fishing village.
But agreeing on why that has occurred and what to do about it isn’t going to be easy.
At the November Sebastian City Council meeting, Council member Jim Hill said the FSL Committee has drifted off course and “seems to be” awarding grants based on “who owns” the business or what kind of business it is. “I’m very concerned, the rules are becoming arbitrary – they don’t like the color, or the words or the lighting. It’s way, way, way beyond” the committee’s intended scope.
He went as far as to ask, “Why do we need a committee? It’s all written down” in the City code.
Council member Bob McPartlan commented that the City could save money if the committee’s tasks could be done in house.
Hill suggested asking City staff to give the issue some thought and report back to Council.
Meanwhile, at the FSL Committee meeting, committee member Lisanne Robinson was equally strong and far more specific in stating her concerns.
“Unfortunately, we’ve become a sign committee. When this committee first began, it was to help businesses who had blighted or out-of-code signs. When I look at the list of what we paid to businesses that are now gone – Island Tropical Smoothies – gone! Southern Sisters – gone! Chill and Grill – gone! River Grill – gone! Maxwell Plumbing – not great. Squidleys – changing everything.
“This committee shouldn’t be about ‘open a business, get a free sign.’ It’s to help people comply. Originally, as a committee and CRA District, we had a bigger vision, to create a downtown to make people stop. We’ve lost the vision. We’ve thrown away thousands and thousands of dollars, and the city doesn’t look any better. There is no enforcement of our code. There are sandwich boards in the middle of U.S. 1 every Saturday, sandwich boards all over Kingdom Come! It looks terrible.”
Chairwoman Donna Keys agreed.
“When I look at the list of all the signs we’ve paid for, so many are out of business, are non-existent, have changed signs.”
At one time, she continued, the City Council had authorized a workshop “with this committee and staff, to create some wording with some teeth – but nothing happened – I’m livid about that!”
City Development Director Jan King also recalled a Council meeting at which a workshop was approved. But, she said, staff received no direction.
There was nothing in the minutes indicating any action to be taken, King said.
“Our hands are tied, too,” she told the committee.
Committee member Warren Dill said: “We need to go back to council to ask them, again, to authorize a workshop” to clarify the committee’s mission and parameters.
Robinson proposed a complete change in direction for the committee, focusing on landscaping and using some of its budget to help businesses that suffer landscape damage or loss through hurricanes or other events.
