(1) The Legislature finds that Interstate Highway 75 is used extensively by tourists and other visitors to reach their ultimate vacation, recreation, and business destinations in Florida. The Legislature further finds that these tourists and business visitors contribute significantly to the state’s tax revenue base and to general economic growth, and encouraging such visitors to Florida is a public purpose in the best interest of the state’s citizens. It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a program within the Department of Transportation to enhance the scenic and natural beauty of this corridor as a pilot project to give visitors to the state a more favorable impression of Florida and thereby encourage return visits. Consistent with this intent, the department is directed to develop and implement a pilot program based upon the criteria set forth in this section.

(2) The Interstate Highway 75 corridor from the Florida-Georgia state boundary to its intersection with the Florida Turnpike at Wildwood is hereby designated as a highway beautification and tourism promotion pilot project.

(3) The department shall develop a corridor management plan with beautification and tourism promotion goals for the project corridor in accordance with this section. The plan shall, at a minimum, address the following:

(a) Vegetation management to encourage the growth of trees, shrubs, wild flowers, and other native vegetation, with the participation of local governments and private parties or organizations. The department shall establish standards for vegetation management plans to encourage the growth of compatible plants which allow reasonable visibility of sign facings while screening sign structural supports, and to allow for the planting of new trees and vegetation in other locations on the right-of-way to replace plants damaged due to cutting or trimming.

(b) Removal and relocation, through incentive programs, of nonconforming signs along the corridor and designation of areas where signs will be deemed to be conforming and where a sign can be relocated in exchange for the elimination of at least two signs at other locations, and encouragement of joint agreements with local governments to encourage such relocation incentive programs to promote the implementation of the pilot program.

(c) Maximizing the use of the logo program along the corridor, and encouraging the development of other methods, such as radio broadcasts, to communicate tourist and motorist information.

History.—s. 7, ch. 96-201; s. 17, ch. 2000-325.