Changes in LDRs to reduce light pollution

Posted 1/23/25

“To think that one day I would not be able to go outside and look up and see the sky, it breaks my heart,” said Okeechobee Mayor Dowling Watford ...

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Changes in LDRs to reduce light pollution

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OKEECHOBEE  — “To think that one day I would not be able to go outside and look up and see the sky, it breaks my heart,” Okeechobee Mayor Dowling Watford told the Okeechobee County Commissioners at their Jan. 23 board meeting.

At the meeting, commissioners discussed additions to the county’s land development regulations to reduce light pollution.

County staff sought direction from the board about new standards for lighting and areas where “dark sky” lighting rules would be required.

County Attorney Wade Vose said the initial recommended area generally encompasses the northwest portion of the county, including Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park and property to its east, and Viking, as well as property to the east and west of Viking. This includes property north of N.W. 240th Street.

He said Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is one of only two state parks in the state designated as a Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International, a nonprofit that works to raise awareness about the negative impacts of light pollution and preserve the nighttime environment.  

Vose said the ordinance would expand the dark sky requirements to areas around the park. “Currently there are no lighting standards in the county Land Development Regulations,” he added. The goal is to control lighting so that lights only point down.

The rules only apply to new lighting. Vose said they hope to address light pollution in which lights point upwards, making it difficult or impossible to see the stars at night, and light trespass, in which light leaves your property and impacts someone else’s property.

Commissioner Frank DeCarlo said caping street lights so the light is directed downward also reduces energy waste.

Mayor Dowling Watford, who is active with the annual Battle of Okeechobee Re-Enactment, said people who come to Okeechobee County for the annual re-enactment are impressed by the night sky. “I can’t tell you how many look up and say, ‘you can see the stars!’

“I go to a re-enactment in Jupiter and guess what, all you see is light,” Watford continued. “We are blessed to have a dark sky park in our county. People come from all over the country to set up their telescopes and see the sky. For a lay person to think that one day I would not be able to go outside and look up and see the sky, it breaks my heart.” Watford said.

The mayor said he hoped the lighting policy would encompass the entire county. “We’ll take what we can get,” he added.

 “Light going up in the sky does nothing to protect anybody,” said Watford.

He said Glades Electric has put in some street lights that follow the dark sky requirements.

“Light that goes where it is supposed to be is safer,” he said.

“ I think in the unincorporated areas where there are less people now, it would be easier to pass this,” said Commissioner Frank DeCarlo. “I think if we are going to do something, we should do it now.”

“This is a function of putting in the correct light,” said Commissioner Michael Sumner. He asked if this would impact existing private rodeo arenas.

Vose said agricultural uses are already exempt from the LDRs. He added the regulations would not require existing lighting fixtures to be replaced. It would only apply to new lighting.

“The objective is to secure dark skies,” said Commissioner Terry Burroughs. “If you’re not making everyone do it, your objective is lost.”

“You are mitigating making it worse,” said Sumner. “You can’t go back in time and fix what is already broken.”

 “You don’t want to make somebody take out lights that are working,” said Watford. “I suggest you’d have to replace it with one that meets the new criteria. None of them are going to last forever.”

“It doesn’t seem like this is financially prohibitive,” said Commissioner Brad Goodbread. “If lighting goes out, you have to replace it with new type of fixture.”

Vose said the basic standard is that lights must be capped and point down. “A lot of the products out there already comply,” he said. Both Glades Electric and FPL are using this type of lighting when they install new lights.

He said they can require that when a lighting fixture is replaced, it has to be compliant with the dark sky requirements.

DeCarlo suggested extending the dark sky area to U.S. 441. He said Indian Hammock is already a dark skies area with no street lights. “You can see all kinds of stars there,” he said.

“The change does not apply to existing light figures. If you are replacing entire fixtures, not just changing out a bulb, they have to be up to standard,” Sumner suggested.

 Commissioners reviewed a sample ordinance, recently developed for Indiantown, that defines exterior lighting standards.

Exterior lighting intensities shall be controlled to ensure that light spillage and glare are not directed onto adjacent properties or streets and all direct illumination is kept within property boundaries.

(1) Exterior lighting shall be controlled to not adversely affect adjacent properties, neighboring areas and motorists.

(2) Fixtures. Exterior lighting shall be architecturally integrated with the character of the building. Full cutoff type lighting fixtures shall be used to illuminate all site areas, including pedestrian, parking, and circulation.

 (3) Type and shielding standards. Exterior lighting shall be fully-shielded to prevent glare. Any bright light shining onto adjacent property or streets which results in nuisance glare or disabling glare shall not be permitted. The shield or hood must mask the direct horizontal surface of the light source. The light must be aimed to ensure the illumination is only pointing downward onto the ground surface, without any upward light permitted that contributes to sky glow.

(4) Height. Exterior lighting not attached to structures shall be designed, located and mounted at heights no greater than 25 feet above grade.

(5) Illumination levels:

(a) Nonresidential. Maximum illumination at the property line shall not exceed 0.3 footcandles and 0.01 footcandles, ten feet beyond the property line. The intensity of illumination for exterior lighting across the site shall not exceed an average of six footcandles measured at grade.

(b) Fixtures shall be placed to provide uniform distribution of light and to avoid excessive glare. Lighting fixtures in scale with pedestrian activities shall provide for uniform distribution of lighting to produce minimal shadows.

(6) Multi-family residential.

(a) Open parking lots and access thereto shall be provided with a maintained minimum of 1.0 footcandle on the parking surface from dusk until dawn. The uniformity ratio shall not exceed a 12:1 ratio maximum to minimum footcandles.

(b) Alleys shall be provided with a maintained minimum of 0.3 footcandle on the alley surface from dusk to dawn.

(7) Parking and unenclosed areas under or within buildings shall be provided with a maintained minimum of 1.0 footcandle of light on the walking and parking surfaces from dusk until dawn, and the ratio of maximum to minimum illumination in footcandles shall not exceed 12:1.

(8) Flood or spot lamps. Flood or spot lamps shall be aimed no higher than 45 degrees from the point directly below it, when the source is visible from any off-site residential property or public roadway. Depending upon the fixture selected, these flood or spot lamps shall be required to include a glare shield to prevent glare. Any lamp installed on a residential property must be fully shielded such that the lamp itself is not directly visible from any other residential property. (9) Security lighting. Exterior lighting for nonresidential areas shall be a maximum of 1.0 footcandle from dusk until dawn. This level may be reduced to 0.5 footcandle on non-business days. (10) Landscape and accent lighting. Uplighting may be utilized for landscape lighting so long as direct light emissions shall not be visible above the roofline or beyond the building edge. Accent lighting shall be directed downward onto the building or object and not toward the sky or onto adjacent properties

(11) Prohibitions. The use of laser source light or any similar high intensity light for point of sale or entertainment and the operation of searchlights for advertising purposes are prohibited.

(12) Exemptions. Outdoor lighting fixtures on, in or in connection with the following facilities and land use types are exempt from the standards of this section, but voluntary compliance with the intent and provisions is encouraged:

 (a) Land owned or operated by the government of the United States of America, the state, the county or the Village.

(b) Lights used by police, firefighting, or medical personnel.

(c) Residential and commercial seasonal decorations using typical unshielded low-wattage incandescent lamps shall be allowed.

(d) Flag poles.

(e) Lighting of radio, communication and navigation towers, provided that the owner or occupant demonstrates that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations can only be met through the use of lighting that does not comply with this section. (f) Publicly owned sports field lighting.

dark skies, Okeechobee, light pollution

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