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County gets earful at tower hearing
By JAMES THORNER © St. Petersburg Times, published December 13, 2000 DADE CITY -- The wireless communications industry fired its first shots Tuesday night in opposition to a proposed Pasco County ordinance to freeze cellular phone tower applications for 90 days. In an exploding industry like wireless, a delay of even three months -- the time county commissioners said they need to educate themselves about cell tower placement -- could be harmful, industry insiders said. Michael Howe, an attorney for the Bradenton-based American Tower Corp., said commissioners' attempts to be "in vogue" by accepting a moratorium could be detrimental to Pasco cell phone users. "People are clamoring for it," Howe said of the need for better cellular service. Other industry representatives insisted wireless communication was no longer a luxury but a necessity. They quoted figures that they said showed 36 percent of Florida's 4,000 daily 911 calls are made over cell phones. The 90-day moratorium -- the commissioners held their first of two readings of the ordinance Tuesday night -- will give the county time to hire an expert to consider placement of cell towers. County officials also will begin reviewing the ambiguities they say are in the current tower ordinance. Applications already submitted to the county before the moratorium is established won't be subject to any new rules. A planned increase in cell tower application fees will pay for the expert review. Led by Commissioners Pat Mulieri and Steve Simon, the board has questioned the unsightliness of recently built cell towers. Mulieri said the county needs a breather to decide, among other things, whether recent technology offers a less obtrusive tower, perhaps one that could be disguised as a tree or hidden on a roof. "I'm not opposed to towers, I'm really not," Mulieri told the cell phone people Tuesday night. "I love technology." Laura Belflower, representing AT&T, said she wants to make sure the county doesn't establish a tower "master plan" that tries to dictate where the towers should go. In such a dynamic industry where planning even six months ahead can be foolhardy, a master plan wouldn't work, Belflower said. Commissioners expect to consider the ordinance once again at their Jan. 3 meeting.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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