NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Two city council members proposed a $100,000 fine to any firm operating an advertising barge in New York City's waters.
Mark Levine and Justin Brennan oppose the vessel that displays a 20-foot by 60-foot double-sided electronic sign while floating up and down the east river and now they have gained the support of Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"I think it's an affront to the people of this city. I think it is polluting our visual environment," the mayor says. "We don't need more pollution of our visual environment. There's enough out there as it is. But, also, it's dangerous."
He feels that the LED billboard barges distract drivers and cyclists on nearby highways and notes the city has even sued the barge sign operator in federal court.The lawsuit filed by the de Blasio administration in Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday morning, aims to eliminate Ballyhoo Media from floating their digital billboards along New York’s waterways.
The suit accuses the Florida company of repeatedly violating city zoning laws which restrict water-based ads that are visible from a highway and aims to charge them $25,000 in fines per day.“Our waterways aren’t Times Square,” the mayor said in a statement to the city. “These floating eyesores have no place on them.”