ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A billboard on U.S. 1 in St. Augustine bearing the message, "Don't Believe in God? You Are Not Alone," has suffered major damage.
The billboard, located about 6 miles north of State Road 16 and visible to southbound traffic, raised controversy when it first appeared March 29. Now those behind that message believe vandalism may have been involved.
"We can't say for sure, but it looks like somebody with a truck could have pulled at the billboard structure from behind in an effort to bring it down," said Stephen Peek, coordinator of the Northeast Florida Coalition of Reason, the sponsor of the billboard, in a news release Tuesday. "Then again, perhaps some heavy object flying off a passing train could have struck it in front, although we don't see any such object nearby and the billboard vinyl isn't torn."
The owner of the billboard structure, CBS Outdoor, was notified of the damage Tuesday morning by the United Coalition of Reason, which is the national organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that contracted for the billboard on the local coalition's behalf.
"We wanted to first get photo verification of the situation before making our report," said Fred Edwords, national director of the United Coalition of Reason, in the news release. "And from the photos, the damage appears significant, too great to be weather related, especially given recent good weather and the good condition of the surrounding trees. On the other hand, the remote location of this billboard adds to the probability of vandalism. But only an on-site investigation by the billboard owner has any chance of solving the mystery."
A few billboards and bus advertisements paid for by the national organization have been vandalized in the recent past, specifically, three billboards in Sacramento, Calif., and three bus ads in Detroit, Mich.
"But these are only rare instances during a national campaign that has spanned 26 cities in 14 months," Edwords said.
The St. Augustine billboard was put up around the same time as an identical one in Orange Park near Jacksonville, also sponsored by the Northeast Florida Coalition of Reason. The two together cost $2,300, paid by the United Coalition of Reason.
"Our goal has been to reach out to those who already agree with us so they don't feel isolated," Peek said. "So if this damage turns out to be vandalism, it will only increase our conviction as to how necessary our message is."
