KFHA will hold a community meeting on Tuesday
Imagine going to work on a Wednesday morning and coming home in the afternoon to find a 32-foot-tall cement pillar in your front yard with a box next to it with a sticker warning you about a cancer-causing chemical in California. This is what’s happened to many Kendall residents.
Homeowners in areas like Glen Cove, The Crossings and Winston Park have been watching giant obelisks pop up on their public sidewalks for months. Thanks to dedicated employees at a permit-issuing agency that specializes in telecommunications companies, the obelisks are popping up at a rapid clip. Sabal Chase and Calusa could be next.
“It’s a shock and a humiliation.” Jen ZambolaHe serves on the board of directors for the Winston Park Homeowners Association.
“It’s dramatic.” Silvia Gutierrez“This neighborhood has underground utilities, no utility poles, and they look like the Washington Monument,” said the chairman of Glen Cove’s Crime Watch Committee.
Gutierrez counted four towers going up in one month in the area around Killian Street and 117th Avenue.
“This was done in great secrecy by a county chief who advocated for transparency,” he said. Gus Robaina“We leave at 8am and the pole is up by 5pm,” said , who lives in Glen Cove.
“There aren’t even any streetlights, and they just appear out of nowhere in the middle of the road,” he said.
The Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations will hold a community meeting Tuesday to discuss the so-called “tower invasion” and explore ways to stop it.
“It is unclear what can be done, but we need to be firm in our response,” the email sent last week said.
“Why is there no public input into where these towers are built? Should we just hope that we aren’t one of the unfortunate homeowners who has one built next to ours?”
KFHA President Michael RosenbergThe person who sent these photos to Political Cortadito made multiple inquiries and received multiple email responses from county officials who said they could not do anything. Thousands The “5G micro-facilities” are planned to be installed by multiple companies.
In other words, it’s unfortunate, but not too sad.
He also contacted Crown Castle, a telecommunications company, directly, with the company stating on its website: They “involve community and government leaders in every step of the process to ensure your unique needs are met and you can continue to live the life you expect for years to come.” The community is not involved.
“There isn’t one,” Rosenberg said.
“This is a state mandate.” Nestor Merian“Could I put this on my business card?” he wrote in January.
“These are not county projects and we do not have the authority by statute to restrict or deny these micro-facility installations. If you have questions about specific antennas and locations, we will connect you with the provider’s field experts,” Merian wrote.
How does that help? The providers are not our elected leaders or representatives.
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In February, Mr Merian told the Commissioner for Regulation and Economic Resources: Lourdes GomezWhen asked about residents’ concerns, the county commissioner gave the same answer: “This question has been raised to voters multiple times and it has been explained that under Florida Statute 337.401(7), the County is required to permit these types of micro-wireless facilities on public roads and that the County’s ability to regulate is limited,” he wrote to Gomez.
“The law does not allow counties to deny installations or enforce FCC requirements based on their proximity to residential properties. State laws governing county approvals do not give counties the authority to enforce federal law. Complaints about violations of federal regulations may be reported to the FCC. We only review permits we receive, and are required by law to permit these types of micro-wireless facilities,” Merian continued.
He said the county’s review is limited to safety issues such as “sight triangle” and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but he doesn’t believe the towers comply with those because they often leave very narrow spaces on sidewalks.
And it seems he’s at least partially right. The Contracting, Acquisition, Disposal and Use of Assets Act of 2019 gives telecommunications companies very broad powers when and where to install the supposedly malign 5G antenna towers designed to bring high-speed internet to every corner of the state. The new fifth-generation (5G) technology uses much higher radio frequencies, so signals travel shorter distances than regular cellular technology and are easily blocked by trees and buildings. That’s why 5G is coming out in droves. Anywhere.
And in many places, it’s not welcomed because of fears it may cause cancer. The American Cancer Society has not taken a position. [radio frequency] “Radio waves emitted by cell phone towers are unlikely to pose any health risks,” the group says on its website, “However, this does not mean that radio waves emitted by cell phone towers have been proven absolutely safe. Most expert groups agree that further research is needed to clarify this point, especially regarding possible long-term effects.”
Gutierrez says it’s not just the health effects of 5G towers that are an issue, but also the potential hit to neighborhood aesthetics and property values: “5G towers are going to completely change the look of our city.”
Congress in 2019 clearly expected resistance — or rather, the telecommunications companies that hired lobbyists to get this done at the time expected some challenges.
According to Florida Statute 337, counties “may not prohibit, regulate, or charge for the installation of small wireless facilities on any public right-of-way, or the erection, maintenance, alteration, operation, or replacement of utility poles used for the installation of small wireless facilities on any public right-of-way.”
These certainly don’t seem “small”.
Companies that install utility poles do not have to tell the county how many poles they plan to install on public rights-of-way or where they plan to install them before applying for a permit. When applying for a permit, they do not have to provide any information other than that “necessary to demonstrate that the applicant is in compliance with applicable laws and regulations governing the installation of small wireless facilities,” whatever that may be.
Keywords: Public right-of-way. Keywords: public.
But according to the law, the counties that represent the residents do not have What is allowed:
- It mandates the installation of small radio equipment on certain utility poles or certain categories of utility poles (again, the word “small” is used).
- Multiple antenna systems must be installed on a single utility pole.
- Requires compliance with County regulations regarding the installation of small wireless facilities or the installation of new utility poles supporting small wireless facilities.
- Requires the issuance of an electrical permit before issuing a pole construction permit.
- An interview is required before applying.
- When installing communications facilities within road premises, direct or indirect public notice or public hearings will be required.
- Limits the size or configuration of a small radio facility or its components if the small radio facility complies with the size limitations of this section.
- Prohibits the installation of new utility poles to support the installation of small wireless facilities.
- Requires all components of small wireless facilities to be located underground.
- Limits the installation of small radio equipment, utility poles on which small radio equipment is installed or to be installed, or other ground communications equipment, with minimum separation distances.
In other words, the county can’t do anything.
But there’s always a “but,” right? The law requires the county to act within 14 days of submitting the permit application. small The wireless facilities would be “moved to another location on the roadway,” and the county and the carrier “may have 30 days from the date of the request to negotiate an alternative location, including objective design criteria for the ground facilities and reasonable spacing requirements.”
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Why is no one doing that? No one in the county, or even the state, seems to care about the residents who don’t know what’s going on until it’s too late.
When Zambola, vice president of communications for the Winston Park HOA, came home from work one day to find the tower on the sidewalk next to her house, they contacted Miami-Dade’s mayor. Daniella Levin Cavacommissioner Anthony RodriguezState Senator. Ana Maria Rodriguez and state legislators. Mike Redondo “Nobody responded,” Zambola said.
Rebecca WakefieldCommissioner’s Chief of Staff Raquel Regaladosaid the 7th District office has also received calls from concerned residents.
“Nobody likes 5G towers,” Wakefield told Political Cortadito. “We’ve reached out to the county attorney and are still looking to see if there’s anything we can do. This is a problem everywhere. There’s a reason the state is preempting us, because nobody wants this in our neighborhoods.”
Rodriguez, the commission’s vice chair, posted an excuse on social media shifting the blame while acknowledging he had heard from residents in District 10. “I understand your concerns and unfortunately, while this is an issue in our district, it is not something I or the County Commission can intervene in,” Rodriguez said.
Well, well, well, maybe, because the truth is, the County has only made it easier for these telecommunications companies to erect these poles by having certain employees in the permitting department who work to expedite these permits.
Last June, the County Commission passed a resolution approving a “Public Facilities Permit Agreement” with Crown Castle Fiber LLC, which stipulated that the company would pay $170,000 “to support the employment of one employee for the sole purpose of processing expedited permit applications for communications infrastructure facilities in unincorporated areas of the county,” modeled after an agreement it had made with AT&T three months earlier for a different employee.
It doesn’t matter if these companies pay your salaries and expenses, so Miami-Dade County’s permit processors are actually employees of AT&T and Crown Castle.
It seems like a clever way to get around the 14 day objection period. Plus, there’s no need to notify neighbors, so who knows if you should object?
It also seems to be an issue that burdens residents of the unincorporated Miami-Dade service area more than those who live in cities and towns, as 5G towers installed in Coral Gables in 2021 are camouflaged and look very different from those being built in Kendall. Some tech companies are trying to make their towers more visible and less conspicuous. But state law is said to apply to all authorities, not just counties.
Tuesday’s KFHA community meeting begins at 7pm at the Kendall Village Center “Village Pavilion,” 8625 SW 124th Avenue, in front of the Regal Cinema.
“Fighting the encroachment of these towers seems like a daunting task, but elected officials should be on the side of the people,” Rosenberg said. Take the lead “It’s important to continue the fight and not ignore the community with the reaction, ‘There’s nothing we can do.'”
You know who’s there? Senator Rodriguez and Councilman Redondo and the Speaker. Danny PerezIf this is a state mandate, then we should hold them accountable.
