New 'Welcome to Dania Beach’ sign is in a different city

Susannah Bryan, South Florida Sun Sentinel
·2 min read

It’s hard to miss the vivid new “Welcome to Dania Beach” sign that greets drivers heading east on Dania Beach Boulevard.

There’s just one problem: It’s in Hollywood.

Now the two cities are in talks about whether the welcome sign should be moved.

Hollywood Commissioner Dick Blattner says he’d like to see Hollywood put up its own sign in the same spot.

Clive Taylor, a sharp-eyed Hollywood activist, noticed the eye-popping sign this week and quickly alerted City Hall. Soon, Hollywood’s city manager was on the phone with the city manager in Dania Beach.

The new sign replaced a much smaller sign that had been there for years.

“The older signs were not as bright and vibrant so people didn’t even know they were there,” Dania Beach Mayor Lori Lewellen said. “And now the new signs are going up and they’re getting noticed.”

Some might be amused by the sign mix-up, but not Taylor.

“The little sign was bad enough,” said Taylor, who serves as vice president of the Hollywood Historical Society. “It should have never been there in the first place. But to have Dania put up this mini-billboard with lights on it is wrong. It says ‘Welcome to Dania Beach’ and you’re not even in Dania Beach.”

Taylor sent an email to Hollywood officials on Wednesday saying the sign only adds to the confusion over where Hollywood’s boundaries are and what city people are driving through.

Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy says he’s confident the two neighboring cities will come to an amicable solution.

“When you drive through you might think it’s Dania, but it’s actually Hollywood,” he said. “I think we’ll work together to find a way to celebrate both cities. I’m not looking to make a spat about it. We’re friendly with Dania Beach. We’ll resolve it.”

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel or 954-356-4554 or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan

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