• Political signs placed in residental areas must meet certain size requirements.DreamPictures/Digital Vision/Getty Images
  
  Sarasota, Florida requires that political signs meet its regulations before they may be placed within the city limits. In addition to requirements laid out by the city, all political signs must adhere to Florida's laws governing political advertisements. Sarasota residents and businesses should ensure that all political signs they use meet the city's requirements, and politicians in the area must ensure that their signs meet all of the state's restrictions.
  
  

Sign Size

• Sarasota requires all political advertisements placed on a residential property to be under 16 square feet in size. Signs placed on property located in a commercial or industrial zone may be up to 32 square feet in size, according to the city's zoning code. All political signs must be contained on private property and be placed at least five feet away from the property's line. Signs that are placed on public property or on the right-of-way may be disposed of by the city manager or the manager's appointee.
  
  

Time Frame

• All political signs in Sarasota may only be placed on private property during certain time frames. Signs may be placed on the property up to 90 days before the election and must be removed within 21 days after the election. In instances where a final election is held within 75 days of a primary election, the winning candidate's signs may remain on display throughout the interim period and up to 21 days after the final election.
  
  

State Laws

• All political signs in Florida must be prominently marked with either "paid political advertisement" or "pd. pol. adv." and must include the address and name of the person sponsoring the advertisement, according to the Florida Political Committee Handbook. All signs must also note if they were paid for or given to the campaign as an in-kind donation and must list the person or group that paid for the sign. Signs that are created on behalf of a candidate must be approved by the candidate and the sign must note the candidate's approval, while those created independently of the candidate must note that no candidate approved the sign's message. In addition, signs that are printed in a language other than English may provide applicable information in the language printed on the sign.