OCHOPEE, Fla. — Collier County commissioners are weighing a proposal to build a 350-foot communications tower within the Big Cypress National Preserve, a plan that has sparked opposition from some residents and a business owner in the area.
Last month, the planning commission unanimously approved permits for the tower, which would be built at the county-owned Ochopee Fire Rescue Station 66 just off U.S. 41. The new structure would replace an existing tower located about five miles down the road in Carnestown.
WATCH TO SEE WHERE THE TOWER WOULD GO UP:
"It's not a little tiny tower they hide between buildings in town. This is a monstrosity. This is the most pristine highway in all of Florida," said David Shealy, who operates the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters with his son. Their property is located just a few hundred feet from the proposed tower site, and Shealy believes placing the tower here would be a huge mistake.
"We're within 1,000 feet — closer than that — of where it's going to be. Nobody's talked to us," Shealy explained. "This is all national park along it, and there was a big movement to make this a scenic highway, so the tower is just going to take away from that incredibly," he added.
However, county staff have said the tower will provide the communication services needed for 911 and the Greater Naples Fire Department in Ochopee, the Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the National Park Service.
Despite the fact that only about 130 people live in Ochopee, nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition created by Shealy's son to stop the project. Shealy hopes the petition will make a difference at the next public hearing.
"They can get it off the highway, and that's a common-sense solution… just get it off the highway," Shealy said.
Collier County Commissioners will hold a vote on March 25.
