Florida School District Sides with Tower Developer

UPDATE With a 3 – 2 vote, Florida’s Pasco County School Board voted in favor of an easement that will allow the construction of a cell tower on school property, reports the Laker/Lutz News. Although plans have been on the books for years, both supporters and opponents have been very vocal as the project to place a tower on the grounds of the newly constructed Starkey Ranch K-8 facility has begun to move forward.

Detractors cite the proximity to the school as the main cause of concern as they believe the students may be threatened by phantom health issues. School administrators have said they would consider an alternate location that is further away from the school building but noted that better connectivity on campus is crucial. 

“You can find research that supports cancer-causing radiation. You can find research that debunks all of those issues about cancer-causing radiation,” stated Pasco Schools Superintendent, Kurt Browning. “What you can’t debunk, and I hesitate saying this, but as a superintendent I have a moral imperative, and that is to keep our kids safe from   — what I know we stand a greater risk of happening, and that is — active threats on campus.” Browning had previously noted his reluctance to make a decision on such a heated issue, but eventually swung in support of the safety provided by a strong cell signal.

School Board Chairwoman Megan Harding voted for the easement, according to Laker/Lutz News. Harding said that she both walked and drove through the neighborhood around the school and discovered areas where calls dropped. She said that while she understood that some parents felt that cell towers represented a potential danger, she felt that poor connectivity in a crisis situation was a bigger danger. “We’ve had serious medical emergencies,” she noted. “To me, that’s a threat that we have every single day.”

Despite the School Board’s decision to continue with the construction of the cell tower, some opponents continued to express their dissatisfaction and vowed to keep fighting against it.