OCOEE, Fla. – Another north Orange County community is clamping down on sign spinners. They're a familiar sight on the side of the road: the people who try to catch a driver's attention by shaking or twirling ads.
Ocoee City leaders passed the new rules this week, hoping to improve safety along busy roads. But new businesses are concerned they won't be noticed without sign spinners drawing in new customers, and the spinners worry what it could mean for their jobs.
Paul Ortiz spins signs at the intersection of State Road 50 and McGuire Road in Ocoee. On Thursday, he was waving signs for a haircut place that recently opened.
"A few weeks ago, we opened up, so we need to get new clientele to come inside," he said.
But according to new city rules, his sign is too large. Now, signs can only be as big as 2 feet by 4 feet.
"Two feet by 4 feet? Can't even see nothing. Can't see nothing, can't advertise. People can't see it," Ortiz said.
He's also supposed to be standing on the property of the business he's promoting, not out in the road.
"The sign-spinning rules are very important to us," Deputy Police Chief Stephen McCosker said. "By design, the signs are meant to catch your eye and draw your attention."
While McCosker is not aware of any crashes that resulted from a distracted driver looking at a sign spinner, he pointed out there is the potential for it to happen.
"We feel it's a safety issue," he said.
But sign spinners worry that the new rules could mean less work.
"It's definitely going to have an impact on my business," said John Dick, who owns GotchaWorks, which employs more than 50 part-time signspinners.
He said he the job pays well, about $15 an hour, and spinners rely on the money.
"It's the difference between somebody making rent, it's the difference with somebody putting gas in the car, it's the difference between someone paying child care," he said.
Ortiz agreed.
"We need to get businesses and the economy going instead of bringing businesses down," Ortiz said.
Sign spinners who violate the new rules could be issued a $100 fine. But right now, police are trying to educate sign spinners about the new rules and hoping not to have to issue any fines.