Continue public comment on Starkey cell tower

1:25:29We'll move on to questions for the next time, but we need a lot of people waiting out here speaking. Sounds good. Thank you all very much. Next three.

1:25:36Okay, so uh Diane Butler, Donna Johnston, and Anna Johnson.

1:25:51Maybe call the next three as well. Folks, we're gonna be moving along. Try to get as much as we can before noon and we'll at eleven fifty five we'll have a quick conversation with the board what we do.

1:26:03Okay. And then um so behind Ms. Johnson will be Madeline Cosenza, Danny Fields. And Alana Gashmore.

1:26:12And if if everyone could, just as in the interest of time, because I'd like to get to this item before we break for l for lunch, uh if you if you could try not to be redundant to something that's already been said. But I don't want to I don't want to squash I don't want to squash your time either, so Major wash.

1:26:27Hi, my name's Diane Butler. I live at [address removed], um [address removed]. I'm also a resident of Starkey Ranch. You've heard a lot of factual um comments today. Mine is going to be a little bit more personal, um, my own story. Um I am a resident of Starkey Ranch and I'm a parent of a third grader and a three-year-old future student at Starkey K 8. Additionally, I'm a district approved volunteer at the school and I've spent many hours there helping with various projects, school picture days, sports activity days, to name a few. My

1:26:58family and I have attended many school functions on the campus grounds, both inside and outside of the school buildings, and I can say with personal knowledge that I have never encountered a problem making or receiving phone calls on school grounds, either through my cell carrier or through the school's Wi-Fi. Additionally, I participated in teams meetings for work and FaceTime calls while waiting for school pickup without issue. I'm adamantly opposed to having a cell tower on school grounds for multiple reasons, first and foremost being health concerns for our students,

1:27:28faculty, and staff at the school. As a licensed health care provider myself, I have grave concerns regarding both the known and yet unknown health effects this tower would expose our young children to. As a parent, I am as concerned as anyone else about the ability to reach emer emergency services when needed. However, as someone who has spent a lot of time at the school, With cell serv um I've with no cell service issues, I do not believe that this is a problem. I'm not aware of a single incident at the school during which emergency personnel

1:27:58cannot be reached when needed. In addition to health concerns as a resident, I'm also concerned about the impact to my property values, the impact to our property values the cell tower would have. The residents of Starkey Ranch have worked hard to provide good homes for their families, and this tower would negatively impact their home values by having an unsightly, unsafe cell tower in their backyards. That's my statement. I'd like to read also another one from someone who could not be here, another parent, Angela Lee. My name is Angela Lee.

1:28:28My husband and I live in Starkey Ranch. Our child attends Starkey Ranch K-8. I'm opposed to the cell tower being placed on the school grounds of Starkey Ranch K-8. We are concerned about the possibility of our child being exposed to radiation, which could cause cancer. I was on the Starkey Ranch K-8 PTO board for 2022 and 2023. I have volunteered in several areas of the school. My total number of volunteer Hours is significant. During my time as a volunteer, I use my phone to text, stream data, and make phone calls. I have always had uh service when

1:28:59connecting to Wi-Fi calling. Please vote no. Do not place a cell tower on the grounds of Starkey Ranch K-8 and allow our children to be exposed to potentially deadly emissions. I'd also like to add on behalf of myself, There's an active member of the school. We have a very active PTO who raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for our school every year. For this to be proposed and basically we feel is a financial move on behalf of the school district will force a lot of those people who contribute drastically to the school to

1:29:29move away or to pull their children out of the school, which will also create a negative financial impact to the school. Thank you.

1:29:36Mm-hmm.

1:29:41Hello, Donna Johnston, [address removed]. On August 13, 2021, there was a landmark ruling in the U.S. Courts of Appeals, DC Circuit, in case 2010-25 Environmental Health Trust et al. v. FCC. The DC Circuit judges ruling in favor of EHT based their ruling on the following written evidence. Plus pages of peer reviewed scientific evidence that was placed in FCC's public record, volumes one

1:30:11through twenty seven. These 11,000 plus pages of substantial evidence contained in a written request and a written record are not alleged health concerns, but concrete probative evidence that meets the requirement of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Title 47 U.S. Code Section 332 C7B3 that substantial evidence be in writing and contained in a written record. This evidence can be cited to substantiate the decision to deny a

1:30:41responsible placement of a wireless transmission facility. This ruling essentially puts an end to the FCC's story that there is a debate about the safety of wireless infrastructure. The evidence of biological harms caused by the microwave radiation pollution that spews from wireless transmission facility infrastructure in Tennis 24-7 has been one entered into the FCC's public record, two, accepted by the U.S. Court of Appeals DC Circuit, and also

1:31:12ruled upon by the DC Circuit. Continued reliance by Pasco School District's Director of Planning, any of the school board members, or the superintendent on the assurances of the FCC and the FDA that there is no consistent or credible evidence of adverse health effects, and then advancing that misleading narrative to the public is at best a gross misrepresentation of the safety of the proposed cell tower. Continued reliance by our school officials on the American Cancer Society

1:31:42as a credible source of information on RFR is flawed because the American Cancer Society is not conducting their own research, and they, along with countless other agencies and institutions, reference the inaccurate information of the FCC and FDA and reiterate a false narrative of safety. The FCC has no health expertise and has hitched its wagon to the FDA regarding RFR radiation guidance. The FDA is fraught with misrepresentation, omission, and lack of transparency. The court

1:32:12wrote that it was scornful of the FCC's heavy reliance on three conclusory statements from the FDA about safety, and that it cannot rely on agencies like the FDA if their conclusions are provided without explanation. Yeah. Implying this cell tower will be safe based on guidance from any government agency is merit list without merit for a full 24 months now. The fact is no federal agency has any funded authority to investigate the health effects and exposures to cell towers. Are our school officials unfamiliar

1:32:43with the pertinence of this historic case or just choosing to ignore the evidence? It's 11,000 plus pay. of court accepted evidence. Thank you.

1:33:00Hello, my name is Annette Johnson, [address removed]. My three kids attend Starkey Ranch K8. I have a seventh grader, fifth grader, and a second grader. My kids do not have any cell phones, and I will not be given them anytime soon. I'm a mother that is very protective of my kids, and I believe in giving I believe that giving them a cell phone is detrimental to them. My kids do have iPads, which they do take to school for classwork. That being said, I do not pay for cell service for their

1:33:30iPads. I need you to understand that I do not pay for cell service on their iPads, which means they are connecting to the school internet. My kids text me all the time. They text me, I forgot my lunch. Can I stay after school? Practices cancel. They communicate with me using the school internet. I also do car pickup, and while I'm waiting for the kids to be dismissed, I'm on my Verizon phone with my family, my family that lives in Colorado and Mexico, and I have no issues at all. I was present when the school

1:34:00had an emergency with a student. I was picking up my son. What I observed were teachers communicating with two-way radios. I was also told by the office staff that they pressed the panic button. Everything was under control within a few minutes. That is how fast the communication and effective the staff were. This all happened before I even stopped stepped foot in the school. There must be other options as such as getting all the staff two-wear radios, making sure the staff is on Wi-Fi calling, or adding better quality internet boosters. The

1:34:30reason why Starkey Ranch is such a desired community is for the nature it offers, the views, the YLI. A top-rated school and the close-knit community. Understand if you vote for the Cell Tower, be prepared for families to start leaving Starkey Ranch. Take our students, our top students, out of Starkey Ranch KA. The appeal of the Starkey Ranch community will no longer be the same. The school will drop in ratings, with which means people will not want to send their kids to Starkey Ranch KA. And the legacy, the

1:35:00start family worked so hard for will be for nothing. It won't matter. Can you assure me that there are zero long-term health risks associated with a 5G cell tower? Because if not, are you willing to expose my children to 1,750 hours of school year? That is over 15,700 hours for a student KA career at Starkey Ranch. That is almost two years of exposures to radiation. Are you willing to take that risk for all the students of Starkey Ranch K8?

1:35:31I know I'm not. I urge you to vote against placing a cell tower anywhere in the school's near proximity. In summary, If I must choose between our current cell coverage or the health risk to our children and future generations, wait, why should we? We can have great self-service and health. We can have it all. And you have the ability to make it happen. There is no need for you to put our kids' health at risk. Thank you.

1:36:04Can you still

1:36:07Hi, my name is Madeline Cosenzo, [address removed]. I'm going to read a testimony from Edward Burke, local state farm agency owner.

1:36:19Uh have two children at Starkey K three and he and his family are very active. at the school and in our community. He has donated approximately six thousand dollars to our school Justice. Whoops. Just this year alone. His wife, Nikki, serves on the PTO, Vice President of Events, and has volunteered over 300 hours at our school. Uh from Edward. I apologize for not being able to be there in person, but the matter is an important one, so I ask this statement to be read on my behalf.

1:36:50I've lived in this community almost my entire life. I attended Chasco Elementary, went on to Boynet Point for middle school. And then Ridgewood for high school. I went away to USF and upon graduating came back to this area. I choose to open my business in this community and lay down my roots. That will last That will last uh my lifetime. Starting a family here in this community I've always told my wife that Pasco is an amazing place to live and raise a

1:37:20family. Through my family members working in the school system, to my own time volunteering, I've seen firsthand that Pasco cares for its children and is dedicated to seeing them succeed. Now I'm not a scientist, and for every article and study that someone provides, you are showing there can be some harmful link to cell phone towers. I'm sure you could find one that says there's no evidence that any links exist. But in almost every single article, the study I read, including the information directly off the American

1:37:50Cancer Society website, there is also a portion that goes like this. Most organizations agree that more research is needed to help clarify these findings, especially for the long term effects. So my question would simply be, why chance it? Does this possible risk of harm to our children by putting the cell tower directly next to where they play at recess, have fun at PE, or play sports five days a week for 180 days out of the year outweigh the reward of having better cell service?

1:38:21Which we know was not the case. Uh if financial gain is motivating factor, let it be known that a small group of moms raised almost five hundred thousand dollars in the last two years. As a parent, I always err on the side of caution when it comes to my children's well being and health today. I ask you to do the same for all the children that attend Starkey Ranch K through eight and for the future children to come. I appreciate the time today. Thank you.

1:38:50Thank you.

1:38:56My name's Danny Fields and my address is [address removed] here in [address removed]. And I'm here with uh the invocation of prayer. Uh what that's really about is it's interceding, asking God for wisdom, and that's what I want God to do for you guys. So I am a chaplain at uh Port Ritchie there at City Hall with uh the mayor. Uh I served uh now the second mayor, the new one, uh John Hoover, he's come in. We uh do

1:39:27a lot with the police, the fire department, uh, personal uh prayer going in and working. Leonard, uh he served there under five different uh Mayor, so uh We we're here just uh let you know that, you know, by us praying like on the National Day of Prayer. Uh that's not just for the National Day of Prayer. That that's what our government was founded on was Christianity, to stand together to be able to hear the hearts of the people.

1:39:57Uh Troy's been coming here for uh for a while. Uh asking you guys to make a decision and vote on that. Uh it's very important 'cause I get to go in there with Leonard and City Hall like we could hear and the school boards and all these arenas with somebody cares to to pray and come together and the faith based church and government working together And uh I've seen a lot of good wisdom and counsel together with the boards in all these arenas and and listening

1:40:27to the heart of the people and looking at facts like the the people is brought here today with uh the satires. And on that, I I was there in that meeting covering for Pat. Uh she's with uh somebody cares as well to protect our children. And uh the data shows on that, so I oppose it and I d I say no to it because the fact is that it's not good for the kids and there's other ways. So I I really w I got plenty of

1:40:57time. I d I don't see my time clicking here on my clock, so uh So do I still got three minutes?

1:41:05Okay, so when I hear the beep and then just go so I gotta c close it out now. I got my minute. I sh I shouldn't have been quiet. So uh really what it is as with the lawyer Nancy at uh City Hall, uh I know she understands from being able to sit down with uh somebody cares and the leaders in this community and uh talk about the issues and and How we work together and make things happen. We work in our communities with families, low income,

1:41:36with homeless, uh, you know, redevelopment, pipes, issues, the same thing you guys do. So together, we just ask for God to give you wisdom. So I will pray, Father, in the precious name of Jesus, Lord, I ask for wisdom on this panel that they would counsel together and hear the heart. Hearts of the people as well as the ministers coming together to be able to be leaders. See, because I think about the book of 2 Kings, how God put people in authority, and some

1:42:07he was pleased with and some he wasn't. But we know that I just want to thank you for your service. And then I know you got a lot of tough decisions, but I hope you make the right ones according to God's will. In Jesus' name. Bless you. I love you.

1:42:22Please don't.

1:42:24While Ms. Gashmore is uh lining up, can I get Alan Gazzaro, Jennifer Johnson, and Joseph Fragasso to line up behind her? Um these are the last three that are signed up for public comment.

1:42:41Uh hi, my name is Alona Gashmova. I live at uh [address removed]. Uh we purchased our home five years ago in the beautiful nature setting of the Starkey Range where sand cranes run free and nature is alive. Ten years ago the tower was in the plans of the neighborhood, yet nobody mentioned it to me. It was only recently that the district's need for um improved cellular service began to shake my

1:43:11word. You see, my home is directly across from where the tower will stand, and I feel deceived not having transparency when purchasing my home. I have three children, two of them attend Starkey School. You see, many of my neighbors are already discussing that they plan to withdraw their children uh if the tower is approved. Unfortunately I can't have this choice. My family is down to admire this tower every day from the master bedroom window, backyard,

1:43:41front yard, And I felt trapped. I feel like I'm forced out from my own home. Uh do you realize that one hundred eighty feet tall tower will be an ugly industrial monstrosity high into the sky over the beautiful brand new community? This tower will be visible throughout the Starkey range. We moved here to be close to the nature. We choose a neighborhood surrounded with preserve. Don't forget that within our community live several endangered and

1:44:11threatened animal and plant species. It even attracts nearly 200 bird species. What will happen to all this beauty? Even if you approve this lease, the application will leave uh will need uh to go through rigorous review by the Planning Commission and the Board of Of county commissioners. Just know allowing it to get that points puts vertex on the driver's seat to prove that there are gaps

1:44:41in coverage. They are in business of making money and will find a way to prove that a new tower is needed. It's their business. You should instead consider going directly to the sole uh service provider and obtain consultation from them, utilizing a third party vendor is a huge mistake. Now is the time to shoot this list down before it even takes off. There are options and we hope you will seriously consider them before placing your vote today. Thank you.

1:45:16Hello, my name is Alan Garzaro, [address removed]. Apologies for the shorts, I wasn't planning on talking today. 'Cause I'm an under the radar kind of person. I never get involved in these types of things, but I felt compelled to say something today. So I scrambled to jot down some notes that reflect the conversation that I've had many times with my wife over this project. Our family moved to Starkey Ranch two and a half years ago and have enjoyed and supported the community ever since. I

1:45:46have a seven year old who's very excited because he started kindergarten the year Starkey Ranch School opened. and will be the first graduating class to go through the first full cycle of the school. I also have four-year-old twins who will start their school experience in a couple of years. I'm here to speak regarding the proposed plan to install a 5G cell tower next to the school. I'm no expert in the field, but have done my own research on the matter. My conclusion is that there is no consensus on whether proximity of a tower poses a health risk to people or

1:46:16not. Much like politicians, experts on both sides refuse to search for the greater good and are unwavering in their beliefs and positions. I do believe that there are many unknowns. Only time will tell who was right. However, as a parent, my tolerance to expose my kids to unknown health risks is zero. The board serves as shepherds for our community. I wonder if the board have children that go to Starkey Rand school and would be comfortable having their kids exposed to the 5G tower radiation over a long period of

1:46:46time. Please do not use our children as test subjects. They're all alternatives to the tower. Please do not let this project move forward at the cost of potential negative health effects to school, staff, kids, and neighbors. Thank you for your time.

1:47:05Hello, I'm Jennifer Johnson, [address removed]. I come here today. to tell you the great respect that I have for the office that each and every one of you holds. And I see the immense responsibility evidenced today that you have in decision making for your people that have voted you in. And I just want you to know that we know that you Want

1:47:35to do the right things or you wouldn't be in these seats. And for that reason, I want to take the rest of my time to pray for you. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today humbly. God, I just ask you right now that you allow each and every one of these men and women that serve you in office in this building today, Lord, to know that you are here for them, God, and that you will lead them and that you will guide them if they will only turn their eyes towards you. Lord, you see the responsibilities and I ask you that you would just

1:48:05let them have the same appreciation and respect for those responsibilities that they hold in this office. God, I just ask you for those that know you that you would just give them an incredible amount of knowledge and wisdom for the decisions that they make, boldness to bring you back into this place of government. For those who do not know you yet, Lord, I ask you that you would call their hearts to you. Let them know, Lord God, that you are willing and able to lead them and to guide them and that they only have to turn to you. It's

1:48:35a free choice, Lord Jesus. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Thank you for your time.

1:48:56Good morning. My name is Joseph Fergoso, [address removed] in [address removed]. How was that last month's meeting? on the nineteenth with some issues, boats on sidewalks, sidewalk impassable, broken sidewalks. Um

1:49:15Code has gotten involved. Coach said there's nothing that they can do about the sand on the sidewalk. I fell back in October of twenty. So this is going on three years. We have not been able to resolve this issue. They keep telling me it's a civil matter. Yet before I moved in the community, they went around and they put ramps on all the sidewalks. to comply with the American with Disability Act. if these people cannot get around on

1:49:45their jazzies with their walkers or kids on bicycles and a kid gets hit. Who's gonna be responsible for this?

1:49:55Is it our job to keep the sidewalks clean? And if so, I don't know how code cannot. Write this guy a warning to comply. It's our job to fix the sidewalks, is what I've been told. Why aren't the sidewalks being fixed? I don't understand. I'm looking at a knee replacement. Guy has no homeowners insurance. and I gotta pay for with my health insurance. I don't know what it's gonna

1:50:25take to get this resolved. The only person you put in contact with two people last time. Uh the sheriff's office And Barrett Dough? And he's the only one that's communicated with me through this whole thing. He spoke with me this morning telling me he's gonna still work on it. But I come here today asking for a solution to this problem. Like it. Thank you.

1:50:50No, can we can we get your address?

1:50:52Yeah, [address removed] in [address removed].

1:50:56Water burger.

1:50:58Yeah. The issue was at fifty five forty two Mockingbird. What

1:51:04I'll do is I'll have Brantford, who's Barrett's boss, uh get with you and they can talk further. Uh Barrett's a great man, so we should it just take it. Sometimes it takes time. But Branford, if you would. Yeah. Okay.

1:51:22I think he did say his

1:51:23address.

1:51:30Is the name addressed for the record?

1:51:33Uh my name is Chantal Mulby and my address is [address removed]. Um good morning, first off. Um we would like to know why the commissioners keep coming and going during the public comment. At least for now, if this tower goes up, I will be moving from Starkey Ranch. Uh my neighbor has already sold her house, uh, in large part due to the tower. Um we have come out here in as many numbers as we could on a business day at 10 a.m. to represent fifteen hundred members of our community. Up until this

1:52:03point we have heard zero testimony from anyone in our community who is in support of this tower or is here to here t here today. Um we know uh people want the ability to use their phone, but no one here in Starkey Ranch is specifically asking you to place a tower on the proposed location. Kathryn, I am one of those, a concerned parent. Thank you.

1:52:31Hi, my name is Victoria James, [address removed]. I'm a certified family nurse practitioner with 15 plus years of medical experience in family practice, pediatrics, and adult medicine. I'm a resident of Starkey and a mother of a first grader. My husband and I actually sold our house two weeks ago after the last meeting due to the total disrespect and lack of care. I am very passionate about people and preventative medicine. For this reason, I still decided to

1:53:01come and I wanted to share the research. Research shows 5G cell towers are carcinogenic to humans with the pediatric population especially vulnerable. What type of cancer are they causing? Lung cancer, breast cancer, pediatric cancer, brain tumors, blood cancer to name a few. The towers also have a direct correlation with neurobehavioral disorders such as headaches, a delay in fine And gross motor skills, sleep disturbances, memory problems, depression,

1:53:32dizziness, ADHD, as well as thyroid disorders, high cortisol levels, optic nerve damage, male infertility with possible adverse effects on the development of embryos, fetuses, and newborns. The severity of illness is directly correlated to the proximity of the tower and the human. If that's not enough, the World Health Organization classifies radio frequency as a class two B possible carcinogen. And in 2019 requested radio frequency

1:54:02be evaluated as a high priority for further research. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports the review of radiation standards and also advocates for further research. Furthermore, 30 states have enacted legislation that facilitates deployment of 5G cell towers in neighborhoods and in front of schools. So, what does this mean for our children? Well, let me start by saying children are not small adults. On a cellular level, children

1:54:32have more cells that are dividing rapidly into tissues, making them more vulnerable to cellular injury. Our children have a longer lifespan ahead of them, giving them more time for this to cause medical problems. The developing nervous system is more conductive and absorbs more than adults, therefore different standards are required to protect children. There are also major national and international organizations evaluating radiation risk. For they all agree there is no low dose radiation threshold for inducing

1:55:02cancers. No amount of radiation should be considered safe. Therefore, it is not up to you to decide if children or my child should be subjected to these risks. I'm aware there are guidelines set forth by the FCC. However, children were not taken into consideration when these limits were set, and these guidelines have not been updated since the 90s. These are not safety standards for children. I have no objection to a cell phone tower, but I do have an objection to a tower being placed on school grounds. Thank

1:55:32you.

1:55:37Please come forward. Name and address for the record?

1:55:41Hi, uh my name is Raul Ramos and I live in [address removed] in [address removed]. Uh thank you so much for hearing us today. I have three kids, uh two of which will be starting in Starkey. Uh they're currently in public school and we just moved to the area and we're very excited to have them join the school and then we we got hit with this brick. Um Uh we love the community. It's great. Uh I I love Pasco. I'm a business owner. I'm looking

1:56:11to build uh business building here in Pasco. Um and uh like listening to this got me thinking a lot about just like the history of stuff. Like when the X-rays first came out, it was a beautiful technology. It was so cool. Everyone was excited to use it. Even like shoe shops would uh like let you take an X-ray of your kids' feet in the shoe to like show you like how like perfect it fit or if it was too tight or too loose. And you know, pretty soon enough people started getting. cancer that's like oh maybe we should reserve

1:56:41x-rays for when it's actually important you know uh uh same with cigarettes you know 50-60 years you know nobody knew doctors recommended it enough bodies uh piled up and they're like maybe this isn't such a good idea Um Uh and uh you know we we we've seen the We we've seen uh schools that have uh uh put up towers and uh you know kids have gotten cancer. There's a thirty million dollar study that

1:57:12found uh uh link linked to cancer in rats, mostly males. uh in uh in the um brain cancer and liver cancer. Oh sorry. Brain cancer and liver cancer, similar to the the the few kids in the school uh that were also male and uh also got brain and liver cancer. Uh like where uh uh I personally am not against towers. I just I don't think it they should be within three hundred feet of a school. You know, I'm try it like Pasco's a really large area. I'm

1:57:42pretty sure there'll be another suitable location for it. Um If it's about the money, I'm pretty sure like I and some parents would more uh will will be more than willing to put money together and I would bid the communications company. I'm sure that won't be an issue. Like as somebody mentioned before. Um Um

1:58:06And then another another thing is a uh so we we see a lot of like support like against it, but I don't see anybody rushing in here in support for the tower. Uh that might be something to consider as well. And you know, um reg regardless of the decision, you know, Starkey will remember. Uh will will it be known as as a place where like it's a beautiful to live in and everyone loves it, or are people gonna talk about it on the news, like, oh is isn't that the place where like kids got cancer or something like that? And you know,

1:58:36h leaving uh a smear on the on the Starkey name as as well as the location in Pasco County. Uh thank you so much for your time. Thank you.

1:58:49We have I just want everyone just to hang on for just a minute before we t take take a break before we do anything else. But I do want to say a couple of things. Listening to this testimony, I think we've all been approached by the folks. So I hope everyone's listened to read a lot of things. Here's what's So concerning to this whole thing. And I'm getting conflicting information as we all are. There's it's out there on both sides. There's no clear consensus. I'm holding here a flyer. from call a group called AGI which I

1:59:21Although the Telecommission Act of nineteen ninety six does not allow government agencies to take into account the health effects of RF em emitted from cell towers and other radio transmitters when making decisions about site approval comma, landlords may consider health effects when deciding whether to lease. Now my county attorney

1:59:44to this. Um It's that's very confusing to me. And I've been at this for a bit. I've listened to a lot of different decisions, see a lot of seed a lot of hot items come before this commission. I've never seen sixteen hundred people in unison saying they don't want something. And as we look up, how many times do we hear the words, we're here to protect the health, safety and welfare of our citizens? With all the confusion that's out there. And we have in our clause, when we wrote this agreement

2:00:14up, it says that the county and school board have the have the right, but not the obligation to go forward with the lease. We are not in a position we have to do this. We certainly don't have to do this today. I I think at a worst case scenario scenario, if we don't if we did if we don't deny it, which I'm comfortable doing, I think at least we should have a full public hearing where all this stuff gets entered into a record that can be submitted in a court of law so that if we do have to worry about vertex

2:00:45coming after us, we can get ourselves backed up. But right now, no matter what we do, If if this did get approved, we put ourselves, I think, from everything I've read in a worse situation. And when I look at the document, I think that's a good thing. And as the Chairman of of in twenty thirteen with Allison Crumley, who voted against this at the school board, looking at this agreement, we put all sorts of clauses in here between something about dangerous, protecting public safety, County and School Board agree to bring a qu Not to bring equipment or objects that are

2:01:15likely to endanger or cause bodily injury and other things. Dangerous or unsafe, exposure to risk or injury. Same thing comes back on another page, liability insurance, protect public safety. Um The joint approval that we have to do At a minimum, if we don't want to see this go, maybe we need to re- relook at our agreement, maybe we do a joint workshop with the school board, but I certainly don't think it is a wise thing for us to do to approve this coming forward. Yeah, that's my thoughts about Commissioner Oakley. Please don't,

2:01:45don't, don't, please don't do that. Please don't

2:01:49I have some of the same thoughts that everyone does, but there's no I've not heard anything of record that said Oh it'll cause this cancer or that cancer. It's been proven that these kind of towers But there's no tower before been a five G. And I'm concerned about the microwaves that come from a five G tower. And how close or w if it does even affect humans. But I would think we'd ought to uh maybe pull the item and and

2:02:20continue it and come back another day with uh Some better Support of uh either way.

2:02:27I'm good with that.

2:02:28I'd I'd be okay with that without just voting down or voting for. I

2:02:32I'm good with that. Information is key. Commissioner Weightman. Okay.

2:02:37Welcome to

2:02:37you. Thank you, Chairman

2:02:38Mariano. I didn't

2:02:40Well, Mr. Chairman Mariano. Well it's twelve o'clock four, so we have to stop the comments. I know but anyway. Point of order.

2:02:46I have the Commissioner Weightman has the floor. Commissioner Weightman has the floor. It's twelve oh four. We're at overtime. Public comment was gonna stop anyway.

2:02:54But you have you have not heard from staff or the or vertex yet. That's my point is public comment isn't really over so I don't think you should be if you want to continue it, that's fine, but you can't

2:03:06I just want to get a discussion before we find what we're going to go do. Okay. Commissioner Weightman.

2:03:10Thank you, Chair. And I appreciate everybody who's taking time to come here today and especially see the kids come and see local government in action. Thank you for the parents who who brought the kids to participate in these decisions that we make here that impact all of our lives. Um

2:03:32I'm

2:03:36Action needs to be taken in the name of public safety at this location. Um I am not opposed.

2:03:47the cell tower in this area for General public safety, safety of our kids, safety of the residents in the area. However, I would appreciate clarity we've heard

2:04:00But I've yet to receive, as Commissioner Oakley said, Uh you know, Full. Undisputed facts from the professionals in this area, in this industry. I've I've done my research, I've listened listened and talked to folks. Um So I would just Mm-hmm. whatever the will of the majority of the board is if we if if we have the ability to have time, but um I'm curious to hear our our county attorney's comments, our county administrators' comments. and uh from

2:04:30the remaining testimony that's here today.

2:04:33Okay. And this is public comment, it's not even testimony. That's my kind of my point.

2:04:37Well

2:04:38Public health.

2:04:40Well, I just think that we have to finish public comment before we can really even have this discussion.

2:04:53I just would reserve my um comments until public The public ha all the public has had their chance. Okay.

2:04:59Is there anyone else in the public that would like to speak

2:05:02But I I need to go.

2:05:06Mm-hmm.

2:05:07It's twelve oh seven.

2:05:08I know. We

2:05:08got sixteen

2:05:09hundred people

2:05:09and you got a hundred.

2:05:12But these people have to go to work and do other things in lives. So so Public comment gone.

2:05:19How

2:05:19many more do we have signed up? up?

2:05:21There's no one else signed up. That's it.

2:05:23Okay, and then we're gonna have staff presentation and then we're gonna have the applicant presentation. So

2:05:32So

2:05:33how how does this work? I you know I I'm one who follows the law and I just want to understand. Well I

2:05:38I would prefer that you finish public comment. You can adjourn everything else to the afternoon, but at least at least we know that public comment is closed. You can take action on your consent agenda, removing this one from consent if you wish. But Let's wrap up Public comment for the morning.

2:05:59Hi. And before you go, is there anyone else that's in the audience want to speak for public comment? Please line up now, otherwise we're going to close it.

2:06:07Oh my goodness.

2:06:13We ain't got enough time in the day.

2:06:17Okay.

2:06:18Hi. I didn't expect to talk today. I just got out of surgery and kind of ran here. Um I was a little bit disappointed with something. We need

2:06:27your name and address for the record, please.

2:06:30Sorry. Monique Pinot, I'm at [address removed]. Thank you. Uh somebody told me that the council might not take into consideration health and environmental effects of the radio frequency emission. Uh I was a little bit bit disappointed to hear that. This cell phone tower is going in my backyard. I'm not wearing red today, but something that I've worn in the past is a Hickman. Do you know what a Hickman is?

2:07:00It introduces chemotherapy into the body.

2:07:04I've had that. I'm a cancer survivor and I don't want a cell tower in my backyard. I have a lot of studies. I'm looking at a lot of lawsuits that are going on across the country. Some have halted the projects based on some research. The eleven thousand Petitioner uh pages that the pet petitioners have filed in Massachusetts is now at fourteen thousand.

2:07:34Fourteen thousand pages? Of evidence.

2:07:40When my my husband retired from being a professional hockey player, we chose Starkey Ranch. Starkey's beautiful. It's an active community. The nature is pretty. It's where we wanted to be.

2:07:57With a cell tower.

2:08:01Feeds from a school.

2:08:05in like I can probably throw a rock from my backyard. Very concerning.

2:08:13There's other options you guys.

2:08:17So I pray that the tower does not go up.

2:08:29It's hard to talk when you're not prepared, but I just wanted to make sure that you guys saw my face.

2:08:38You have another you have another minute. That's just a warning.

2:08:41I know.

2:08:42Oh,

2:08:42okay. So I pray that you guys consider what everybody has prepared. There was Zoom calls that I was on last night. Everybody is working tirelessly with speeches. They poured their heart and soul into it. There's a reason why we're all here. It's not something that we want. So I appreciate you listening to me, my last minute little spiel. Thank you.

2:09:14Hello everyone. My name is Upasna Koshek. I'm a very new citizen of this country. I want to be proud of it. I don't want to be disappointed because you make a decision which is not good for the health of our kids. I'm a resident of Starkey [address removed]. Mr. Chairman, I really want to thank you for presenting your thoughts before uh some of us could come and uh present our thoughts. So first of all I would like to say it is it's a shame That somebody

2:09:45here tried to water down the value of Matter of the Cell Tower because they think that their issue was more important than us. So that is really disrespectful, I would like to say. Also, it is a shame to use the active shooter threat to support this matter. This should not be the case at all. Also, uh everything in this world boils down to money. And if that is so, um some of my fellow residents did mention

2:10:15that we are very good at raising money. In our fundraising events at Starkey School. Also, if you increase the uh uh fees of our students, say by $100 or $200 per year, we are very happy to pay that. In exchange to not putting this tower in our school. And um I will not put any facts or figures. My fellow residents have done that already. Um I'm not cry I'm not going to cry, I'm not uh going to plead, but will request you

2:10:45all, sitting at this decision-making place, to use your evolved brains, kind hearts as I want to believe it is, wisdom and conscience to make a decision that ensures a better future for the generations to come. Thank you so much.

2:11:03I'm sorry, ma'am, can you come back up? Ma'am. Ma'am. I I don't think we captured your name and address for the record. If you could give that for the

2:11:13My name is Upasna Koshik. I'm a resident of Starkey [address removed]. Thank you so much.

2:11:19Okay.

2:11:26My name is Sashi Del Marmel, and our address is [address removed], a resident of Starkey for over a year. And I want to approach you both as being a parent as well as a board certified family nurse practitioner over a decade of experience working in preventative medicine. And although an ideal scenario would be that we have a plethora of studies that confirm or deny the risks that we're talking about today.

2:11:56Unfortunately, perhaps there's not funding for that for a specific reason, but we do absolutely have the knowledge that radiation is a known carcinogen. And we know the effects of that enough to not be able to say without a shadow of a doubt that this is not going to affect our families and our children. And I think about, you know, just in this building, the way that it works. We're not just talking about cancer. When it comes to genetics, it's like all these light bulbs that we see up here. Those are

2:12:27like your your genes and the light switches are like the things that you're exposed to. We know that toxins, for example, like radiation, are things that will turn those light switches on. So it might not affect every single child who attends the school over the next 30 years. But we know that it has the potential to do that depending on other exposures, depending on those people's genetics. And it is not fair for us as residents who have uprooted our lives

2:12:57to come here for everything that Pascal County presents to us in our neighborhood. To take that risk. I know that plenty of people have shared many arguments with us ar already, but I just implore you, you all have such a Power in your hands to do good today. or whenever you decide to make this decision, but there are literally lives in your hands. And as a medical professional, I know the number one tenet that we take is to do no

2:13:27harm. And so that is what I ask for you today. I hope that that is your number one prerogative as well. And obviously as a parent, this was important enough for me to bring my three-month-old child here because this is her future. And she's starting to wake up now. She's couldn't uh avoid going into the protests as well. Um but again we thank you so much for your service and again I just ask and hope that you be on the right side of history today. Regardless of

2:13:57what has gone down in other communities, other states, today you have a decision to make that is gonna affect so many lives and we hope you make that right one and say no to this. Thank you.

2:14:14Hello everyone. My name is Manish Patel. Uh My name is uh as I said. I am a large property owner in northeast.

2:14:24Can

2:14:24you give

2:14:24your address for the record please?

2:14:26Yeah. Uh we we are the property owners in Pasco County. Uh in northeast Pasco County to uh along uh Sandkos Parkway. Which your address? The Cookalane It's a Cook Alane, Spring Hill.

2:14:43What's your personal address?

2:14:45The person my personal address is [address removed].

2:14:52Okay, thank you.

2:14:54So as I said, I'm a large property owner in e northeast Pasco County and look forward to investing and developing industry in Pasco County. We are excited about the opportunities in this county to create jobs. In our early efforts to develop, we have seen there are some requirements for large buffers for commercial and industrial sites along the Sun Coast Parkway that may impact developing H Mrs would be appropriate and well

2:15:25suited for the site. I would be helpful it would be helpful for the county to take closer look at the existing buffers for commercial and industrial use around The Sun Coast Parkway to see. What is truly necessary taking into account and how it may impact business and jobs? Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity for speaking.

2:15:47Yeah.

2:15:53Since

2:15:53the last

2:15:53one.

2:15:54This will be the last speaker? This will be the last person. I'm gonna I'm gonna have to leave after this.

2:15:58Hello, my name is Octavio Johnson and I live on [address removed]. And I just wanna say that just because you don't know the effects does not mean they don't exist. Um please bring professionals that study this to educate you. Thank you.

2:16:17Well no. No clapping, no clapping. Please know. Okay.

2:16:23So seeing no one else in in for public comment, we're gonna close public comment. Is there anybody online?

2:16:28did she show up?

2:16:30Uh no, there is no one online. Okay, we're gonna close public comment. We'll go to the consent agenda. Um The resolution's gonna have to wait.