Osceola residents voting early won’t be able to see the usual colorful political signs when they go to the polls after the county banned voting at some polling places, but the local Republican Party They claim that it is ambiguous and illegal.
The county sent an email Friday to candidates running for local office demanding that they remove county-owned polling place signs or risk having them destroyed. The county said the early voting site sign violates Osceola’s land development code and has nothing to do with politics.
“It is outrageous that the county forces private property owners (both residential and commercial) to comply with these regulations on their own property,” county spokesman Tom Alexander said in an email. That’s fair,” he said in an email.
The ordinance states, “Temporary signs, including but not limited to political campaign advertisements, shall not be erected, posted, painted, tacked, nailed, or otherwise displayed on or over the right-of-way of a county road. , placed, or disposed.” Signs placed in violation will be subject to law enforcement action and a $10.00 removal fee for each violation. ”
Alexander said the decision could appear to be political in nature because the signs appear to be placed only on county property that serves as a polling place. But it’s simply about applying county land development laws fairly to all properties in the county, he said.
Many polling places are located at fire stations, tax collectors’ offices, public libraries, and other county-owned buildings. The county’s rules do not apply to polling places located in other locations, such as churches or community centers.
Thirty-three of the county’s 49 polling places are not owned by the county, Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Kari Ewalt said in an email. More than 24,200 Osceola residents have already voted, according to the latest state data.
The Osceola County Republican Party called the move “election interference” and said candidates were confused about where to place their signs. And the party argued that not only does it consider the policy vague, it violates state law.
Florida Statute 102.031 states, “The owner, operator, or lessee of the land on which a polling place or early voting place is located, or any agent or employee thereof, shall shall not be prohibited.” If a candidate’s designee is outside the no-solicitation zone during voting hours. ”
Osceola Republican Mark Cross said he believes the policy unfairly targets Republicans because it was implemented shortly after they put up signs against prominent local Democrats seeking re-election. said.
“When we started going around some of these locations, we found that they were just taking down Republican signs. We have videos and photos to prove it,” Cross said. “That’s the despicable thing about this, because you can’t put up signs on private property across from polling places without the owner’s permission, so they’ve effectively stopped all messaging in this election. is.”
The Osceola County Democratic Party did not respond to a request for comment. But local Democrats running for re-election said they had removed the signs, including Elections Director Mary Jane Arrington, Osceola County Property Appraiser Katrina Scarborough and County Commissioner Brandon. Arrington said the sign was removed to comply with policy.
Cross said party members and Republican candidates across the county plan to have people with placards in front of polling places during the early voting period and throughout Election Day.
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“Obviously they have a problem with the signs and if there are people on scene they can’t make arrests,” Cross said. “A lot of people want to wave signs, but I don’t think they’re going to get to the point where they’re going to arrest someone, but if they do, we’re going to force them to do it.”
He said the party intends to contest the policy and has contacted lawyers. While any legal action will not be resolved before the election, Cross said he is considering alternative solutions to get the signs back in front of voters by Tuesday.
“We asked the state election board for an opinion, and the lawyers said we could win if we filed a lawsuit, but we wouldn’t get any satisfaction before the election,” Cross said. “There is a possibility that legal action will be taken even after the election.”
The county’s decision is just the latest feud between candidates and local governments.
Kissimmee adopted similar rules in March, but unlike the county, it offered alternative areas for candidates to place signs. The city’s rules were an effort to control the number of billboards, but they drew criticism after candidates failed to follow them during the August primary.
City rules state that campaign signs affixed to vehicles at early voting locations cannot exceed size limits and that vehicles must be parked in a “normal manner.” The prescribed penalty is removal of the sign. Candidates said the policy would lead to confusion about standards and mischief in the form of complaints and counterclaims among candidates.
