August 24, 2023

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Signs and Free Speech:  Regulating Signs & Billboards after Austin v. Reagan

In 2022, Austin v. Reagan reaffirmed the ability of your community to regulate on-premises and off-premises signs (billboards), and to regulate commercial speech differently from non-commercial speech.  While Austin moderates some of its impact, the 2015 Reed v. Town of Gilbert content neutrality framework remains largely in place. It constrains how communities deal with temporary signs, and continues to require a high degree of rigor in drafting.

This webinar includes a panel of experts who will describe the latest developments and how Austin and subsequent cases affect best practices for city sign regulations. Communities interested in ensuring that they have constitutionally-compliant sign ordinances will want to attend.

Speakers: Susan L. Trevarthen, Mark White and David Hickey

Susan L. Trevarthen JD FAICP, is Board certified in City, County & Local Government Law by the Florida Bar, and is a Partner in the law firm of Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, P.L. in Fort Lauderdale.  She handles land use, planning and zoning matters for governments, and serves as the firm’s lead municipal attorney for two South Florida coastal communities.  A Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP), her practice also includes constitutional law issues and hot topics in her field.  She is Chairperson of the Board of Directors of 1000 Friends of Florida. She was graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a joint degree in law/planning (M.R.P. and J.D., 1991) and Duke University (A.B., 1986).

Mark White, Esq., AICP, is an attorney and urban planner whose practice emphasizes zoning and code drafting, from conventional to form-based codes. He has completed over 150 development code updates, Zoning regulations and comprehensive plan/smart growth implementation projects for local governments in over 36 states. He has published over 35 books and articles on planning issues including the American Planning Association’s Model development code. He is a member of the North Carolina and Missouri Bars, AICP, and the American Planning Association. Mr. White has a JD and Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

David Hickey is Vice President of Advocacy for the International Sign Association (ISA), where he oversees and coordinates ISA’s legislative, grassroots and legal efforts – including ISA’s two amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court for the Austin v. Reagan case. Since 2011, Mr. Hickey and his ISA Advocacy team have educated nearly 8,000 local government officials, and they have helped hundreds of jurisdictions across the United States develop effective and enforceable sign regulations