The Longboat Key town commission will consider a revised telecommunications ordinance that eliminates all reference to cell towers. Cell towers will now be called “freestanding wireless facilities” and have a maximum height of 50 feet. The goal of the ordinance was set by the town commission last November when it instructed staff to return with an ordinance that would preclude the possibility for a cell tower from ever being constructed on Longboat Key. The ordinance, instead of using the words “cell tower,” uses the phrase “freestanding wireless facility” as a method to distribute cell and wireless communication without relying on the traditional tall towers. The ordinance changes several previous controls that were placed on cell towers by allowing freestanding facilities in most any zoning district, except for preserve and single-family zoned areas of the key. The proposed code says such freestanding facilities must mimic a natural or built feature that blends in with the surroundings. Examples would be a palm tree, clock tower, or an osprey nest. Previously, the town commission had proposed removing height restrictions on cell tower facilities from the comprehensive plan and the town planner recommends that these comprehensive plan amendments not go forward if the proposed code is adopted. It is the 50-foot height limit in the proposed code that precludes the construction of a cell tower, err, I mean freestanding wireless facility.
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