Commissioner backs off law change for digital ads on Metrorail columns on U.S. 1

Digital ads could come to Metrorail columns along U.S. 1 under a proposed law designed to generate revenue for the Underline linear park, but the sponsor now says the legislation goes too far.

The law change up for a final vote by Miami-Dade commissioners on Tuesday would allow commercial advertising for a portion of the more than 2,000 columns that support the elevated Metrorail tracks. The ads would be authorized under a section of the county code that allows up to 30% of a sign to use digital advertising.

According to the proposed legislation by Commissioner Raquel Regalado, the new signs could be up to 950 square feet, larger than the county’s 750-square-foot cap on billboards.

After the Miami Herald began asking about the proposed legislation on Monday, Regalado said she would ask fellow board members to delay Tuesday’s vote so she could tighten the proposed rules. That delay was granted at the meeting without debate, with no date set for when the legislation would return to the commission.

Regalado said the law change was designed to boost Underline fundraising from private-sector sponsors to offset the government dollars needed to operate the 10-mile linear park, which is only partially built.

“This was always about thanking donors,” said Regalado, who is running for reelection in the county’s District 7 this year. “No one is interested in turning the Underline into Las Vegas.”

READ MORE: Miami moves to designing final stretch of The Underline, a $140M urban park and trail

The Underline is a $140 million urban trail and park that’s 10 miles long, covering about 120 acres amid the columns under the Metrorail system between the Miami River and the Dadeland South Metrorail station.

It has relied on a mix of government and private dollars for its construction and operations, including about $2 million a year needed to maintain and service the half-mile stretch that opened in the Brickell area in 2021. Meg Daly, founder of the project, said the Underline’s projected annual budget is forecast to be between $750,000 and $1 million per mile once the project is completed, expenses that would amount to between $7.5 million and $10 million a year.

Daly — chair of Friends of the Underline, which has a county contract to manage the paths, recreational areas and gathering spots that make up the Underline — said the nonprofit seeks messaging on Metrorail columns to recognize sponsors and doesn’t want digital signage.

“This is not about advertising on columns. The intention is not to add clutter to people’s experiences as they drive down U.S. 1,” Daly said. “There’s no intention to use digital on the columns.”

Regalado’s legislation passed through the commission’s transportation committee last month without debate.

Outdoor advertising can be a sensitive topic.

In a memo to commissioners accompanying Regalado’s legislation, Jimmy Morales, the Mayor Daniella Levine Cava deputy overseeing the Metrorail, noted the ordinance would prohibit the column ads from facing homes along the Underline route. The legislation also requires 1,500 feet between each column sign.

While installing the signs requires a change in Miami-Dade law, Florida’s Department of Transportation would still need to approve any signage because of the location near U.S. 1, according to a county memo about the proposed ordinance.

Peter Ehrlich, a co-founder of the Scenic Miami advocacy group, said he is alarmed by Miami-Dade pursuing signs under the Metrorail that could be larger than most billboards. “950 square feet is massive,” he said.

Cindy Lerner, the former Pinecrest mayor who is a District 7 candidate challenging Regalado, said she opposes expanding advertising onto Metrorail columns to benefit the Underline.

“I don’t think anyone wants to see commercial advertising anywhere on our open trails and park spaces, including the Underline,” she said. “It would be visual blight along what would otherwise be a peaceful pathway.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 8:00 AM.