Residents protest placement of public safety radio tower. Manatee County officials join in, too

A small group of Manatee County residents who live near the proposed site of a new public safety communication tower held a protest at the Prospect Road entrance of Marjorie G. Kinnan Elementary School on Monday.

Construction on the 185-foot, $1 million tower was halted in May at the request of residents who said that they were not notified about the tower until construction began.

The tower is meant to remedy a communication gap for emergency service providers in the University Parkway Corridor, according to county officials and emergency responders. The residents do not dispute the fact that the tower is needed, but they want it constructed elsewhere.

On Monday, the group wore yellow shirts and handed out fliers to parents picking up their children. The fliers highlight the group’s concern about the placement of the tower in a residential area and next to a public school.

Their concerns include potential health impacts from radio frequencies, the potential impact of the tower on property values and a claim that Manatee County officials have been purposefully deceptive in moving the project forward.

The event was coordinated by the Move the Tower group with help from Manatee County School Board member Charlie Kennedy, who, along with other members of the school board, opposes the tower’s proposed location.

“Without his efforts, the demonstration would not have been possible,” said Move the Tower organizer Marley Boss in an email. “He helped coordinate with the principal, director, and legal team to determine what the group was able to do.”

In addition to Kennedy and more than 20 residents, District 4 County Commissioner Robin DiSabatino, District 4 County Commissioner hopeful Misty Servia and school board chairman Scott Hopes attended the protest.

Hopes, a former cancer epidemiologist, has concerns about the impact of the tower’s placement near a school. Hopes also said that the school board has not had a chance to discuss the issue.

“We haven’t been that informed,” Hopes said.

Hopes also received an unusual request to remove the issue from an upcoming school board meeting agenda.

DiSabatino pointed out that the county administration’s current stance is contradictory to a past case, in which Manatee County won a lawsuit brought by Vertex Development LLC in 2009. At the time, county commissioners denied the company’s application to build a cell phone tower in River Club out of concern for residents.

DiSabatino says that getting parents involved could be key.

“We’re trying to get the parents to realize that they don’t need a tower near their children,” DiSabatino said.

Gary Adams owns a large parcel of land touching the proposed site of the tower. Adams says he is prepared to take legal action against the county if construction proceeds.

“I’d hate to have to spend my money to do the government’s job, but I will,” Adams said.

Dickie Green, a retired police lieutenant from North Carolina, said he is doubtful about some of the arguments that the county officials are using in favor of the tower’s placement.

“Most criminal investigators use their cell phones because they don’t want to be overheard by criminals on a public channel,” Green said.

The tower is on the agenda for a Board of County Commissioners meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 25.

This story was originally published September 17, 2018 at 6:02 PM.