Marion County, FL commissioners voted 5-0 on July 21 to deny a special use permit for a proposed 195-foot telecommunications tower near Fort McCoy, citing concerns over the area’s historic significance and rural character, according to 352today. The application from Skyway Towers, LLC, sought to build the tower on a 25.5-acre agricultural property. County staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval, saying the tower would improve wireless coverage in an area with limited service.
Dozens of residents urged commissioners to reject the proposal, arguing the tower would harm the landscape that inspired Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ novels The Yearling and South Moon Under. Speakers also raised concerns about the tower’s visual impact, nearby homes and compatibility with the surrounding wilderness…