A wave of opposition swept through the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency meeting on Thursday night, as dozens of St. Augustine Shores residents rallied against a proposed 170-foot T-Mobile cell tower they said would mar their community.
After a parade of speakers, the PZA voted 6–1 to recommend denial of the project. The matter will come before the Board of County Commissioners for a final decision.
“This cell tower is going to be visible from our backyards and we love to be outside,” said an emotional Ashley Sosnowski, who has small children. “I just love our community and love our neighbors and i just don’t want to see this aesthetically unpleasing thing in the middle of our backyards.”
The proposal sought a permit to construct a 170-foot monopole tower on a church-owned parcel along Shores Drive, deep within the master-planned St. Augustine Shores community.
While the area allows telecommunications towers by exception, residents argued the scale and location of the structure didn’t comport with a residential neighborhood designed around natural beauty.
Speaker after speaker approached the podium to denounce the tower as an industrial intrusion into a tract developed in the 1970s as a quiet, family-oriented enclave.
Some called the tower a looming eyesore that would be visible from homes, streets, and green spaces throughout the area.
Environmental concerns fueled much of the opposition. Residents warned the tower site sits near a rookery that serves as a nesting area for egrets, herons, and other birds.
Others raised safety concerns, questioning the risks posed by a 170-foot structure during hurricanes or severe storms, and warning of the consequences if the tower were to fail.
Several residents cited studies suggesting cell towers near homes can depress property values, saying homeowners should not be forced to absorb financial losses for the benefit of a private company.
The applicant’s representative, Brad Wester, countered that the tower would meet all county engineering and safety requirements and sit more than 250 feet from the nearest residential lot line.
He asserted that environmental consultants reported no adverse environmental or archaeological impacts.
But the panel ultimately sided with the opposition in issuing a thumbs down, eliciting applause from the crowd.
“This is not compatible with the residential character of the area,” PZA member Richard Hilsenbeck said.
