Last Wednesday, the Frost Museum of Science in Miami filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Transportation to remove a giant billboard at the Pérez Art Museum in Miami. The lawsuit was first reported by Axios.
According to the lawsuit, the 1,800-square-foot digital billboard violated state law. In addition to featuring PAMM programming, the billboard also promotes ads for luxury brands such as Tiffany and Yves Saint Laurent.
The billboard has a worrying history dating back to 2023. In Florida, billboards near highways require a permit and cannot exceed 950 square feet in size unless the sign is built on a business premises. The billboard must also primarily promote the business or the products the business sells, and the business cannot receive rental income from the billboard. PAMM faces the MacArthur Causeway and is part of the state highway system.
However, in 2023, the City Commission granted an exception to that law to PAMM and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, allowing them to install digital billboards nearly twice the size of those allowed elsewhere in Florida. 2024 report The Art Newspaper It was revealed that the 2023 exception was proposed by then-Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, whose failed re-election campaign received $225,000 from PAMM billboard operator Orange Barrel Media.
PAMM was the only organization to build the sign under the exception, applying for and receiving a city permit under the size exception. To get around a Florida Department of Transportation regulation, the museum simultaneously installed a kiosk in its garage that allowed visitors to purchase any of the items advertised on the billboard. Nonetheless, according to Axios FDOT made it clear in a 2024 letter to PAMM that the shipments must be available for pickup at the museum, the report said.
City commissioners overturned the exemption in 2024 after community opposition to PAMM’s billboards. Although the billboard was built, the city argued it was illegal because PAMM violated its land lease with Miami by building the sign without Miami’s approval. A court battle was settled last month, with PAMM agreeing to reduce the time the sign is on and pay the city at least $500,000 a year (the city’s revenue from selling digital ads on PAMM billboards is estimated at $1.5 million a year).
The current lawsuit, filed against FDOT by PAMM’s immediate neighbor Frost Science, goes back to FDOT’s regulations, saying the sign exceeds state size limits, advertises products unrelated to the museum’s business, and generates revenue for the museum.
in an email art new“The Pérez Art Museum Miami logo was carefully reviewed and approved by all relevant agencies to ensure full compliance with state and local regulations,” PAMM wrote. “While we highly value the Frost Museum of Science as a cultural partner, we regret that it distracts from our shared mission of enriching Miami’s arts and science landscape.”
Douglas Roberts, president and CEO of Frost Science, said in a statement art news”, “Frost Science opposes advertising on this oversized sign because they detract from the environment of learning and curiosity that is critical to the museum experience. Bright light sources limit the use of Frost Science’s exterior space, especially at night. The Florida Department of Transportation’s failure to enforce laws prohibiting such signage jeopardizes millions of dollars in much-needed federal highway funding in Florida. Frost Science filed this lawsuit to resolve these issues. ”
He added that the sign “is illegal and should never have been built in the first place” and reiterated calls for it to be removed.
