It was indefensible for the Tampa Electric Co. to plant those massive utility poles on a residential street, but equally alarming is that TECO never warned homeowners or local government of its intention to blight an entire neighborhood in such a way. Hillsborough County is responding in a reasonable way, by restricting where these poles can go and requiring power companies from here on to notify residents in advance.
Hillsborough officials deserve credit for moving swiftly. Homeowners in Egypt Lake, north of Tampa, shouldn't have to tolerate 12-story poles on their lawns. Nobody should. The towers need to go, and TECO says they might. The intense public criticism has helped push the company in the right direction.
The county should make it permanently more difficult for these monstrous poles to be built in residential neighborhoods. Under a proposed new ordinance, utilities would have to notify residents along any route where the poles would be taller than 90 feet. The plans would require special approval by county regulators and face additional public hearings. Tall poles would have to be "visually and aesthetically compatible" with the character of the area. In some circumstances, the utility would have to analyze alternate routes.
No other county in the region imposes such strict limitations on utility poles. But it is hardly unreasonable to ask utilities not to blindside communities. TECO took advantage of the regulatory void, and its excess showed that county government cannot rely solely on a company's good faith. The tougher permitting process should help on a broader front by bringing TECO and the county together to collaborate on long-range planning. We've seen in Egypt Lake what happens when they don't.
