A lighted sign is the only sign on your building that still does its job after sunset. On a Florida evening in August, with the sky closed in and the rain coming sideways, it is often the only thing telling a driver your door is there.

Choosing one is less about the picture and more about four decisions: which type of lighted sign fits the site, what the face is made of, what the cabinet is made of, and what the structure behind it is engineered to survive. This guide takes them in that order, using the materials DVC Signs lists in its own materials guide and the code Pinellas County actually enforces.

The four kinds of lighted signs

DVC Signs groups lighted signage into four families, and almost every project in Largo, St. Petersburg and Clearwater is one of them.

Channel letters. Individual lit letters, each one its own shallow can, mounted to the building face. The wall shows through between the letters, so the sign reads as part of the architecture rather than a panel bolted onto it. If you are weighing face-lit against halo-lit, we covered that choice in channel letters versus reverse channel letters.

Lighted sign cabinets. One box, one translucent face, the whole message on it. A cabinet carries detail that channel letters cannot: a complex logo, a phone number, several tenant names stacked on separate panels.

Lighted pole or monument signage. Freestanding at the entrance to the site, lit from inside. This is the sign that has to be read at driving speed from the road, and it is the one the wind code cares most about.

Custom illuminated dimensional signage. Lit letters and logos for a lobby, a reception wall or an architectural feature, where the sign is close enough to read at walking pace. See dimensional letters and logos for the unlit equivalents.

The applications DVC Signs lists for these run from commercial and retail storefronts to multi-tenant residential properties — condominiums, apartments and manufactured housing communities — and multi-tenant commercial property signage.

Face materials: acrylic and polycarbonate

The face of a lighted sign is the part the light passes through, so it cannot be metal or wood. In practice it is one of two plastics, and the choice between them is about where the sign can be reached.

Acrylic is the default. The DVC Signs materials guide describes it as a durable material that outdoors offers the durability needed for permanent applications, and notes it is often used for illuminated, architectural, tradeshow and point-of-purchase signs. It holds color, takes a clean edge, and diffuses light evenly across a face.

Polycarbonate — Lexan is the familiar trade name — is the answer when the face is within reach. The same materials guide describes polycarbonates as shatterproof plastics that provide superior durability and more flexibility than conventional acrylic, commonly used for exterior sign faces in areas that are subject to vandalism.

The practical rule: if the face sits fifteen feet up a wall, acrylic. If it sits at eye level beside a parking lot, a walkway or a school campus, ask about polycarbonate before you specify.

Cabinets and returns: why aluminum is the default

Behind the face is the part that has to survive the weather without anyone looking at it. Outdoors in Florida that is aluminum.

The materials guide is blunt about why: aluminum “will not rust, and its baked-on enamel finish will not flake or peel like other painted materials”, and it is “sturdy and light-weight”, which it calls an ideal solution for permanent exterior signage. Both halves matter on a lighted sign. Rust is the obvious one near the coast. Weight is the quieter one: every pound in the cabinet is a pound the wall anchors or the footing has to carry, for the whole life of the sign.

For large flat faces, aluminum composite is the lighter option. It is built from two pre-painted sheets of aluminum bonded to a solid polyethylene core, which gives the durability of aluminum with more rigidity for the weight.

What the code expects a lighted sign to survive

A freestanding lighted sign is a structure, and in Pinellas County it is engineered to a number rather than a guess.

The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board’s local technical amendment to Section 1609.3 of the Florida Building Code sets an ultimate design wind speed of 145 mph for Risk Category II structures and 155 mph for Risk Category III, across all incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. The City of Largo enforces that same 8th Edition (2023) Florida Building Code.

It is worth seeing that number next to a real storm. During Hurricane Milton in October 2024, Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg recorded a peak gust of 88 knots — roughly 101 mph — according to the National Hurricane Center’s tropical cyclone report. A major hurricane’s gust over St. Petersburg came in well under what the code expects a Risk Category II structure to stand up to.

A lighted sign carries one thing an unlit sign does not: an electrical assembly. That assembly is part of the sign’s design and part of the review it goes through, alongside the structure and the face.

Matching the type to the site

Most of the decision is settled by where the sign has to live and how fast someone is moving when they read it.

• A finished storefront facade. Channel letters, so the building stays visible between the letters.
• A logo with fine detail, or several tenants on one sign. A lighted cabinet, where the whole face is one printed or cut panel.
• The entrance to a site, read from the road. A lighted monument or pole sign, engineered to the wind numbers above.
• A lobby or an interior architectural wall. Custom illuminated dimensional signage, sized for walking pace rather than driving speed.

If the sign is at a multi-tenant property, decide early whether tenant names sit on separate panels. That single choice changes the cabinet, and it is far cheaper to settle before the drawings than after.

Working with DVC Signs on a lighted sign

DVC Signs designs, coordinates and manages lighted sign projects for businesses and property owners in Largo, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and across Pinellas County. Work at the site is coordinated through properly licensed and insured contractors.

Bring whatever you have — a photo of the building, a site plan, your logo files, or just an address. Start at request a quote, or call (727) 524-8543. The shop is at 12350 S. Belcher Rd. Suite 14-B, Largo, FL 33773.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between channel letters and a lighted sign cabinet?
Channel letters are individual lit letters, each one its own shallow can mounted to the wall, so the building shows through between them. A lighted sign cabinet is a single box with one translucent face carrying the whole message. Cabinets suit multi-tenant panels and busy logos; channel letters suit a clean wordmark on a finished facade.

What material is a lighted sign face made from?
Acrylic or polycarbonate, because the light has to pass through the face. Per the DVC Signs materials guide, acrylic offers the durability needed for permanent outdoor applications and is often used for illuminated signs. Polycarbonate, such as Lexan, is shatterproof and more flexible than conventional acrylic, and is commonly used for exterior faces in areas subject to vandalism.

What wind speed must a freestanding lighted sign in Pinellas County be designed for?
The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board local technical amendment to Section 1609.3 of the Florida Building Code sets an ultimate design wind speed of 145 mph for Risk Category II structures and 155 mph for Risk Category III, throughout all incorporated and unincorporated Pinellas County. Largo enforces the 8th Edition (2023) Florida Building Code.

Why is aluminum used for the cabinet and returns on an outdoor lighted sign?
Per the DVC Signs materials guide, aluminum will not rust, and its baked-on enamel finish will not flake or peel like other painted materials. It is sturdy and light-weight, which matters on a sign that has to be carried by a wall or a footing for years.