HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Broward County commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of building a radio tower in Hollywood's West Lake Park to improve the Broward County Sheriff’s Office's communications system.
Commissioners voted 8-1 in favor of building the tower in the area. Commissioner Beam Furr was the only person to vote against it.
Residents of West Lake Village opposed the plan to erect the 300-foot radio tower in Hollywood's West Lake Park, which borders the neighborhood. Homeowners said the tower would be an eyesore and hurt property values. The Hollywood City Commission also opposed the plan.
The Broward County Commission initially sought to have the tower up and running by last December to address communications system failures that hindered the Sheriff's Office's response to the Fort Lauderdale Airport and Parkland school mass shootings.
However, an alternative plan to place the equipment on the 11-story Circ hotel and apartments in the 1700 block of Polk Avenue required more research and a lease agreement with the property owner.
The Circ is sturdy enough to hold the tower and it's far enough east in Hollywood to provide the needed coverage.
The owner of the Circ had previously said he was open to the radio tower proposal; however most commissioners favored the West Lake Park location, saying that it would be erected quicker and would be more feasible.
"There's no violation to the voters' trust because voters entrust us with public safety," Commissioner Barbara Sharief said. "My integrity is not an issue. I would vote any day of the week to put this tower in West Lake Park."
"From my vantage point, I still think that the Circ is the best alternative and one where don't have to make such a choice," Furr said.