-
Editorials
- Bradenton Herald
- Daytona Beach News-Journal
- Florida Times-Union
- Florida Today
- Ft. Myers News-Press
- Gainesville Sun
- Lakeland Ledger
- Miami Herald
- Naples Daily News
- NWF Daily News
- Ocala Star-Banner
- Orlando Sentinel
- Palm Beach Post
- Pensacola News Journal
- Sarasota Herald-Tribune
- TCPalm
- Sun-Sentinel
- Tallahassee Democrat
- Tampa Bay Times
- Columnists
- Cartoons
-
Press Releases
- Sayfie Review
- Jose Oliva
- Nikki Fried
- Bill Galvano
- Ron DeSantis
- Marco Rubio
- Ashley Moody
- Rick Scott
- Jimmy Patronis
- Congressional Delegation ≻
- Matt Gaetz
- Neal Dunn
- Kat Cammack
- Aaron Bean
- John Rutherford
- Michael Waltz
- Cory Mills
- Bill Posey
- Darren Soto
- Maxwell Frost
- Daniel Webster
- Gus Bilirakis
- Anna Paulina Luna
- Kathy Castor
- Laurel Lee
- Vern Buchanan
- Greg Steube
- Scott Franklin
- Byron Donalds
- Sheila Cherfilus McCormick
- Brian Mast
- Lois Frankel
- Jared Moskowitz
- Frederica Wilson
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz
- Mario Diaz-Balart
- Maria Elvira Salazar
- Carlos Gimenez
- Political Links
-
News Links
- Drudge Report
- NewsMax.com
- AP Florida News
- ABC News' The Note
- NBC News' First Read
- Florida Channel
- Florida TV Stations
- Florida Radio Stations
- Capitol Update
- Florida Newspapers
- Florida Trend
- South Florida Business Journal
- Tampa Bay Business Journal
- Orlando Business Journal
- Jacksonville Business Journal
- News Service of Florida
- Politico Playbook
- Washington Post The Daily 202
-
Research
- Florida Fiscal Portal
- Search Florida Laws
- Search House Bills
- Search Senate Bills
- Search County, City Laws
- Search County Clerks' Records
- Cabinet Agendas, Transcripts
- Search Executive Orders
- Search Atty. General Opinions
- Search Supreme Court Docket
- Florida Supreme Court Rulings
- Search Florida Corporations
- Search Administrative Rules
- Proposed Administrative Rules
- View Advertised Contracts
- Refdesk.com
- Government Services Guide
- Electoral Vote Map
-
Reference
- Florida House
- Florida Senate
- Find Your Congressman
- Find Your State Legislator
- Find Your Local Officials
- Find Government Phone #'s
- Florida Agencies
- Florida Cities
- Florida Counties
- Florida Universities
- County Tax Collectors
- County Property Appraisers
- County Clerks of Court
- County Elections Supervisors
- MyFlorida.com
- OPPAGA
- Advertise with us
Sun-Sentinel: A basic case of truth and justice in Delray Beach | Editorial
Times: Here's a way to reframe Trump's Stormy Daniels hush money case
Times: TikTok and the sands of time. What hath social media and smartphones wrought for our kids?
Times: Should you tip? Should you have to?
Times: Internet service needs the marketplace, not heavy-handed net neutrality regulation
Herald: Underline is more than a park. It's just what Miami needs | Opinion
Sun-Sentinel: The high cost of playing politics with sheriff's jobs | Editorial
Times: Pinellas County schools' sensible policy on cellphones in classrooms | Editorial
Cities take aim at wireless technology law
Jim Saunders
August 13, 2019
TALLAHASSEE --- The Florida League of Cities and three communities this week filed a renewed constitutional challenge to a state law that is expected to help telecommunications companies install wireless technology on city-owned utility poles and in public rights of way.
The league and the cities of Fort Walton Beach, Naples and Port Orange filed the lawsuit Monday in Leon County circuit court, about three months after filing a similar challenge to a 2017 state law. The new case incorporates changes the Legislature made this year to the law, which involves the installation of antennas and other equipment that telecommunications companies need for new 5G technology.
The revised case, in part, targets a change that lawmakers made this year that could open cities to lawsuits in state or federal courts --- including being required to pay costs and attorney fees --- if they violate the wireless-technology law. Attorneys for the cities contend that the change violates the constitutional separation of powers.
“The proper separation of powers required by the Florida Constitution cannot be maintained where a statute passed by the Florida Legislature allows the judicial branch to subject municipalities to financial penalties for discretionary decisions necessary to the core legislative functions of local officials and the municipalities they represent,” the 51-page lawsuit said.
Other parts of the new case are similar to the earlier lawsuit, including challenging the constitutionality of a limit on how much cities can charge for telecommunications companies to install equipment on publicly owned poles. The lawsuit contends that the limit, $150 per pole per year, is an unconstitutional taking of property because it is below the market rate for use of the poles.
The Legislature passed the 2017 law and the additional changes this year as telecommunications companies move forward with 5G, or fifth generation, wireless technology. The new technology, in part, is expected to provide faster speeds for users of wireless devices, but it also requires more antennas and other equipment to be installed in places such as rights of way and on utility poles.
The changes (SB 1000) approved by the Legislature this year drew relatively little opposition from lawmakers, passing the Senate in a 34-3 vote and the House in a 96-16 vote. The measure was signed June 25 by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But cities contend that the 2017 law and this year’s changes violate the state Constitution in a variety of ways, including infringing on home-rule powers. Along with the fee limit, for example, the cities take issue with requirements that set tight time frames for reviewing and approving plans for installing the technology.
With the filing of the renewed lawsuit this week, the cities also dismissed the case filed in May.
Attorneys for the state argued in briefs filed in June that the initial case should be tossed out, in part because of a “lack of judiciable controversy” as telecommunications companies had not started offering 5G services.