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Billboards now being used to sell sodas and dress shirts could soon carry a more important message. Florida is joining forces with the Outdoor Advertising Association in a statewide effort to use digital billboards in emergency situations. The boards will carry weather alerts, evacuation routes and shelter location in the case of a hurricane or other emergency. Florida Outdoor Advertising Association spokeswoman Amy Bogner said she knows the plan will work, because the boards are already being used to help find missing children.

“The FOAA already provides a similar service to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with the posting of Amber Alert messages. For the last several years it’s been an excellent resource to that agency and we hope it will continue to be the same for this one,” said Bogner.

In an emergency situation, a message will be posted on more than 50 billboards around the state