- May 3, 2024
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Mary Buck stood in front of a doctor nine years ago and asked why her 5-year-old son, Jackson, had leukemia.
"The doctor said, 'You never know what causes cancer,'" Buck said last week from her Lorraine Lakes neighborhood in Lakewood Ranch.
"That is unacceptable," she said.
After 3 1/2 years of treatment, Jackson emerged from the ordeal and is now a healthy 14-year-old. However, Buck said Jackson's cancer diagnosis "changed everything for us."
One thing it has done for the Buck family is make them question possible health hazards, such as the cellphone tower planned for their neighborhood, just south of the Lorraine Lakes amenities center and the playground built by Lennar. It is also alongside an upcoming school bus stop.
Cellphone towers emit radio frequency signals, which are being studied by worldwide health organizations to determine if there is a risk from long-term exposure.
Buck's home is far enough away from the planned cell tower that she isn't concerned about exposure there, however, she didn't know the cell tower would be built near the playground and amenities center.
"We wanted a neighborhood with a good amenity center," said Buck, who with her husband Jamie also has a 12-year-old, Maddie, and a 10-year-old Finley. "We will be using the pool there. I have an electromagnetic field blocking device on my phones, on my microwave oven, on my computers. We are proactive."
Buck started a group, Lorraine Lakes Residents Against the Proposed Cell Tower, and a petition asking Lennar that it not be built. It has been signed by 678 people as of April 11.
The petition states "We, the undersigned residents of the Lorraine Lakes Community, are concerned and shocked about the health hazards, visual pollution, and the unnecessary addition of another cell tower in our neighborhood. The cell tower, located at the town center, is causing great concern and distress for us and our families, many containing young children."
It goes on to express concern about potential health hazards due to radiation, the fact it will be an eyesore and diminishes aesthetic appeal, that property values will go down, and that other cell towers in close proximity to the community provide excellent service.
"People care about this," said Buck, a former attorney who is now a life coach. "They don't want this."
Her fellow residents have rallied to help Buck, and more than 300 Lorraine Lakes residents have joined her group.
Bill Pfannenstiel has lived in the neighborhood for 20 months on Tradewind Terrace and he said he wasn't aware the tower would be built "right on top of the children's playground."
"If I were a parent, I would be concerned about a 5G tower," he said. "The long-term impact is not fully understood."
Julia McRoberts, who is an oncology nurse, lives on Seafoam Trail.
"I have grandchildren and I don't want them exposed to that," she said.
While the World Health Organization's stance on cellphone towers is that "no adverse short- or long-term health effects have been shown to occur from the RF signals produced by base stations," McRoberts said she is skeptical.
"There are a lot of opposing facts," she said. "There is such a high concern here. This is a community with a lot of children."
She said she would feel better if they moved the tower away from the amenities center and the playground.
Marc and Debbie Marini lived in Bridgewater for six years before moving to Lorraine Lakes two years ago.
"When they were showing us the homes, we didn't know we would be looking at a playground and a huge cell tower," Debbie Marini said. "Our main concern is that there will be health risks."
Marc Marini called it an oxymoron to have a cell tower next to a playground. He also was concerned that a cellphone tower will devalue his home.
"We have seen published articles about home values decreasing by 20% when they build a cell tower," he said. "This is just corporate greed and we will be left to deal with it."
Dane and Kim Bodamer were living in Waterside of Lakewood Ranch and they said they wanted to move away from power lines. They didn't expect to run into a similar problem in Lorraine Lakes.
"We are living too close to these energy sources," Kim Bodamer said. "I think it can cause long-term damage."
Their other concern is the value of their home.
"We bought a $1 million home," Dane Bodamer said. "We need to speak out and let them know our concerns. They are looking to make money, I get it. But they aren't going to know how we feel if we don't speak out."
Taylor Messina is speaking out because she has an 11-month-old.
"The amenities center, in general, is where we will be hanging out," she said. "And what if (the tower) fell down? This is all unnecessary with other cell towers so close."
Alejandro Vizcaino agreed that those who live in the community have excellent cellphone reception, so another tower is not needed.
"(Lennar) is pushing the tower just to get (the monetary) benefits," Vizcaino said.
He also is concerned about health issues and property values.
He said the cell tower plans were mentioned in his contract to buy his home, in the fine print "that no one reads."
Because of a Manatee County Commission meeting in 2018 in which Commissioner Vanessa Baugh asked Lennar to try to find a different spot for the cell tower, he thought the tower might eventually be rejected. That didn't happen. The plans were approved in 2019.
Currently a redesign of the cellphone tower is filed with Manatee County's staff, but Baugh said it isn't likely the issue will come in front of the commissioners again.
"I knew this would come back to haunt everybody," said Baugh, who has opposed the placement of the cell tower and recommended looking into the possibility of building a cellphone tower on nearby county-owned land.
Baugh said it might be too late to stop the wheels from turning.
"I am afraid this is how it is going to end up," she said. "But we do need to have cellphone towers. There you are. There is not a lot we can do with that."
The amenities center is expected to open in May or June.
"This cellphone tower is being built against the community's will," Vizcaino said. "Without the community's support, they shouldn't be doing it."
The community is scheduled to be 1,500 homes with about 500 having been occupied already.
"From my perspective, this is almost like bullying," said Seafoam Trail resident Anthony Rizzi. "There has been no consultation with the community. We were third owners of our home and we never saw the original plan."
His wife, Marie Rizzi, said she believes in the "decency of humanity" and is hoping Lennar will reconsider.
"I am optimistic," she said.
After residents began a letter writing campaign to Lennar officials, they received a letter April 10.
It said Lennar is working on setting up a town hall meeting with the residents to discuss the matter. The letter said SBA Communications representatives will be on hand to answer questions. No date has been set.
Calls to Lennar to respond to this story were not returned.
Calls to SBA Communications Corporation, the builder of the cellphone tower, also were not returned. SBA Communications builds cellphone towers and leases antenna space to wireless service providers.
