Commissioners deny proposed 150-foot cell tower at Walmart site after retention-pond concerns

At a special meeting on Aug. 27, 2026, the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners denied a conditional-use application to place a 150-foot monopole telecommunications tower on a 1.8-acre dry retention area adjacent to the Walmart at the 3700 block of Gulf Breeze Parkway.

Shahzad Mahmood, a consultant with Kimley Horn speaking for SBA Communications and Walmart, described the tower as a structurally engineered monopole designed to host at least three carriers and said Verizon had agreed to be the anchor tenant. Mahmood said the site would add about "50 square feet of additional impervious area," would meet all FCC and FAA guidelines, and would be built to a structural standard he said would withstand "sustained 160 mile per hour winds" while collapsing on itself with a "0 fall radius" in the unlikely event of failure.

The applicant provided a stormwater letter and a structural letter, and an independent market appraisal the applicant said showed no negative property-value impact. Mahmood also said Verizon engineers determined the new site was needed to boost coverage along State Road 281, a northbound hurricane evacuation route, and to improve 911 and first-responder connectivity.

But commissioners raised two recurring concerns: the project's placement in a stormwater retention area and the precedent that would set for other structures in retention ponds. The district commissioner told the board he reviewed the retention area after a downpour and concluded the proposed development "doesn't present a flooding problem at all" but still opposed the project because allowing towers in retention areas "opens the door" for other construction. Another commissioner cited prior code-enforcement experience removing people from holding ponds and said a retention area is "for water, not concrete and stuff."

The board voted to deny the conditional-use request by voice after a motion to deny was made "without objection," recording no opposing votes in the public proceeding. Commissioners and staff noted the applicant could pursue other locations or required permits from the South Florida Water Management District, which would separately review stormwater connections and might deny a permit if county and state conditions are not met.

The denial follows the zoning board's earlier recommendation (noted in the record) and closes the current request; the applicant did not indicate an immediate appeal during the meeting.