Bradenton Beach commissioners took the call, then left a stern message.
Commissioners cast a unanimous vote Jan. 8 that effectively denied a request from Bradenton-based Florida Tower Partners to allow the company to sell the Bradenton Beach cell tower to a larger vendor.
The city plays a role in the potential sale because the tower is built on land leased to FTP by the city.
FTP proposes to transfer the lease and sell the tower to American Tower Corporation.
Kevin Barile of FTP told commissioners that it is common practice for small- and medium-size tower developers such as his to build towers and then sell them to larger companies “at the top of the food chain.”
Barile said FTP has sold hundreds of towers to American, which owns 44,000 towers worldwide. But commissioners are dismayed by ongoing delays. AT&T and Verizon, the tower’s first two contracted carriers, have not installed communications equipment on the tower.
“I would view the approval of the sale much more favorably if the system was up and running and we had a couple of these folks — as we were led to believe — have their stuff in and working,” Vice Mayor Jack Clarke said.
Clarke said he wants to tell his constituents, “We did a good thing,” not that we let the contractor leave town.
With the carrier delays, some people will continue to struggle with poor cell service. The delays also reduce the funds the city receives from its partnership with FTP or its successor.
Mayor Bill Shearon said he would approve the sale of the tower only after AT&T and Verizon equipment is installed.
“Originally this tower was supposed to be up and running in November,” Shearon said. “Then we went to December. Now this is going to be sold to a mega company and we’re losing revenue. The whole reason for this thing is to have cell tower service. Now we don’t have a commitment to get it done.”
“That’s too bad because of all of the visitors who are here,” Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said of the delays.
Barile said Jan. 9 that the tower sale would neither speed up nor delay when the carriers install their equipment. He told commissioners that Verizon likely will install in March, if not sooner.
“These companies are behemoths,” Barile said of Verizon and AT&T. “They have tens of thousands of cell sites that they are either upgrading or adding.”
AT&T’s installation progress has been slowed by its $43 billion acquisition of Direct TV, Barile said. The company likely will install its equipment sometime before summer. He added that AT&T’s contract already has commenced, unlike Verizons, and the city has made about $1,800 in quarterly revenue sharing.
Barile told commissioners no other carriers have expressed interest in being on the Bradenton Beach tower, and FTP needs more than two carriers in order to break even on its investment.
Barile pledged to “always be available” to commissioners if they approved the sale and need advice on tower issues.
Commissioner Janie Robertson read from the “abandonment clause” in the city’s lease with FTP. She said if there was no appreciable work done in a six-month period, the project is considered abandoned.
“I’m just looking at that,” she said. “Keep it in mind. This thing went up Sept. 11.”