Signs of Safety – Letting the Community Know Your Business is Open and Your Commercial Space is Safe

We know that many of your businesses have reopened to some degree in the last few weeks and that means two things:

You want the community to know that you are open
You want the community to know that you are safe and complying with social distancing guidelines recommended by state and federal task forces and the CDC

Let The Community Know You’re Open
To help you get the word out that you are open, and to communicate other important information about your current operating hours and procedures, the City of Kissimmee has waived restrictions on temporary signage on private property for the next three months. This will allow greater freedom of signage options on your property, though there are a few restrictions. Temporary signage will not be allowed on public rights-of-way, and the placement of temporary signage may not interfere with traffic circulation, sight triangles, pedestrian access, public safety, or minimum parking space requirements. No offsite signage will be allowed and signs must be removed should we face a tropical storm or hurricane warning.

The waiving of these permits is part of the City’s COVID-19 business development and sustainability assistance program, which focuses on providing relief to businesses within the City. While this applies specifically to businesses within the Kissimmee city limits, the County and City of St. Cloud are offering similar relaxations of sign restrictions.

Let the Community Know You’re Safe
Once you let the world know you are open, we know that you are working hard to create a safe, social distancing-compliant workplace for both your customers and staff. It is recommended by both local officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take measures to let your customers know in bold and obvious ways of the steps you are taking to keep your workspace compliant and clean.

Four easy recommended steps to announce to the community that your business is virus-conscious and in compliance with recommended social distancing procedures, and in turn ease the mind of your consumers, are

Keeping a visible supply of hand sanitizer at your business entrance
Having an employee visibly cleaning and sanitizing your commercial space
Posting clear, printed protocol in your windows or on your walls
Posting an all-clear certificate from the health department prominently on your wall

Locally, the Osceola County Back-to-Work task force is working on creating an education campaign that will both aid businesses in what they should be doing, and in communicating the steps they are taking to the community. The Open Safery Osceola campaign is set to launch next week and will include printed materials you may use, as well as other tools like safety certifications, and webinars for safety training.

In the meantime, to aid you with visuals that will clearly illustrate to consumers at your business that you mean business when it comes to opening safely, the CDC offers printable materials that were developed to support COVID-19 recommendations. All materials are free for download on their website and are not subject to copy right infringement. They even offer them in a variety of languages.

Examples of these printables include everything from reminders to wash your hands to directions regarding face coverings. Some are directed toward your staff and others toward your customers.

The CDC printables may be printed on a standard office printer, or you may order larger poster sizes, banners, or other types of materials to display on your premises. You can even add your company logo to them. If you are not able to do that, any commercial printer can do it for you.

If you are in need of a printed sign or banner to let the public know you are open, are operating under specific hours or operating procedures, or to display CDC recommendations to your guests or staff, you can consult one of the Chamber’s many printer and graphic design memebers. We have provided a list below with contact information.

Alpha Specialties & Awards
305 W. Bass St.
Kissimmee, FL 34741
(407) 847-9002

Creative Printing & Graphic Design
1009 Pine St.
Orlando, FL 32824
(407) 855-0202

Osceola Press – Printing & Signs
2775 Old Dixie Highway, Suite C
Kissimmee, FL 34744
(407) 933-1820

Poinciana Printing & Signage
(850) 404-9544

Signature Promotions
408 Marlberry Leaf Avenue
Kissimmee, FL 34758
(407) 518-9413