Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - County Establishes Graffiti Ordinance and Hotline

The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners recently established an Anti-Graffiti Ordinance for unincorporated St. Lucie County. In an effort to combat graffiti, the county also created a ''hotline'' to report graffiti on public or private property.

Residents in the unincorporated areas can call (772) 370-2545 to report graffiti that needs to be removed. The unincorporated areas of St. Lucie County include residences and businesses outside the city limits of Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie Village.

St. Lucie County's Anti-Graffiti Ordinance (No. 07-057):

• Prohibits the sale of graffiti implements (spray paints, markers, etc.) to minors;
  
• Requires businesses selling graffiti implements to store them in an area continuously observable or in an area inaccessible to the public;
  
• Provides a reward for information leading to the identification and apprehension of any person applying graffiti;
  
• States that it is the property owner's responsibility to remove graffiti and sets out a procedure for enforcement;
  
• Allows the property owner to appeal to the Code Enforcement Board or apply for county assistance with removal of graffiti;
  
• Gives St. Lucie County the right of entry onto private property to remove graffiti if the property owner fails to do so within a set period of time;
  
• Sets up an Anti-Graffiti Trust Fund.

''This is an important issue that the residents of St. Lucie County have asked the county to address. We've taken a number of steps to clean up our community through our Code Enforcement Department and the N-Team program,'' said St. Lucie County Commission Chairman Joe Smith. ''This ordinance is just another tool we have to battle gangs and graffiti.''

Law enforcement officials have acknowledged that gang members use graffiti to declare turfs and communicate with fellow and rival gang members.

If you would like to report graffiti on public or private property in the unincorporated areas of St. Lucie County, call the Code Enforcement Hotline at (772) 370-2545.