Like wild sunflowers, six large yellow aluminum traffic signs sprouted along grassy swales on Albatross Street, warning drivers that they have entered an “autistic child area.”

But once the county caught wind of them, they were uprooted.

Though the signs were not approved by Miami-Dade County, they did pass muster with another local authority: the grandmother of an autistic child who worried about the dangers posed by zooming cars and appealed to Miami Springs city hall to get the signs installed.

“It’s like the Indy 500 on Albatross Street,” said Rosie Buckner, whose 6-year old autistic grandson lives nearby. “Autistic children tend to wander and I’m worried about what will happen as he gets older.”

Buckner, who advocates for Autism Speaks and , said there are a lot of autistic kids in Miami Springs. She read a story about “autistic” warning signs put up in another state and reached out to City Manager Ron Gorland.

“Rosie asked us to put them up,” said Gorland, who was sympathetic to Buckner’s plight to protect her grandson, as well as other children, and wasted no time getting the signs up. The city even picked up the $450 tab for the signs.

But just days after they were installed, Buckner said, someone complained to the county which deemed the signs “unapproved.”

According to a Feb. 1 email from Joan Shen, a Miami-Dade County traffic engineer, to the city of Miami Springs: “The county code states that it is unlawful for any municipality to install any traffic control devices.”

Shen noted that the signs were not approved by the Federal Highway Administration and they have an inappropriate setback for ground mounted signs “may become a liability for the agency which installed them.” Some of the grassy areas where the signs were mounted sit too far in from the street, he said.

“As such, it is respectfully requested that the city remove these signs,” wrote Shen.

The signs were taken down by the city and placed in storage.

“This is a mission for me now,” said Buckner, who has called County Commissioner Rebecca Sosa for help and has taken to Facebook to rally support. “I asked the county to do a safety survey of the area and my request to add stop signs was rejected.”

Not everyone is a fan of the signs, however.

“I was surprised to see four new street signs around my block telling me I was entering an ‘autistic child area’”, wrote Williee Armellini, in a letter to the local River Cities Gazette. “What’s next, ADD, wheelchair or blind child area?”

Within the next six weeks, the city plans to replace the “autistic” signs with “children playing” signs, according to Gorland.

“We’re initiating the approval process as outlined by the county.”

Though traffic laws are governed by overlapping city, county, and state laws, one local attorney thinks Buckner might want to look to a federal law for support.

“The only thing that needs to be done is a request made under the Fair Housing Act for a modification of the current code, if a rule prohibiting such signs exists,” said Matthew W. Dietz, a Coral Gables-based civil rights attorney who is an expert on fair housing laws.

Dietz said that a code change is not necessary.

“These children are going to be more at risk,” said Dietz.