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Corporate logos could soon start appearing at a state trail near you. Seven trails from one end of the state will be allowed to accept sponsorships under legislation signed by Governor Rick Scott. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the idea is sure to spark debate by trail users.

Thousands of people bike, skate or walk state trails everyday. So when we told this couple that corporate logos could soon be coming to their trail, we sparked a debate.

“If the last desperate attempt to keep them would be to put up signage, then I could live with a little bit of advertisement,” social worker Anthony McDonald said. “If the money is going back in there.”

“Yeah, but you start with a couple of signs and you end up with New York,” Catia Carvallo, a conference center director, said.

Seven trails, from Pensacola to Key West could soon be sporting corporate logos under legislation that took effect July first.

The law limits the signage to 16 square feet. That’s four feet by four feet, which is just a little bit bigger than this sign here.

Jim Wood with the Office of Greenways and Trails says how much the signage will bring in is still anybody’s guess.

“As we’ve tried to figure out what revenue this is going to generate, we’ve tried to look at other examples, and really, there’s nothing at a state level that we’re aware of in any other state in the U.S,” Wood said.

The money will be small in comparison to the parks overall budget.

“This is something that would possibly give us the ability to have a little more maintenance,” Wood said.

And if the idea proves successful, look for state lawmakers to expand the idea in the future…which will be guaranteed to spark more debates like this one.

“There’s a limit of what we would allow in there,” McDonald said.

“There’s never a limit,” Carvallo said. “Once you allow something, it’s like an open market there.”

In the meantime, the state is seeking sponsors compatible with the mission of the parks and trails.

Six of the seven trails selected for the pilot are in either North or Central Florida. the largest pilot will he the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage trail, spanning almost a hundred miles through the Florida Keys.