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Tamarac staff outline proposed 25-year renewal for sports-complex cell tower; lease would more than double annual rent
Summary
City staff briefed commissioners on a proposed up-to-25-year lease renewal for a cell tower at the City Sports Complex that would set the initial annual payment at $52,440, up from about $31,395 under the prior arrangement. Commissioners were given background but took no formal vote at the workshop.
TAMARAC, Fla. — City staff on Monday reviewed a proposed renewal of a lease for one cell tower at the City Sports Complex that would set the initial annual rent at $52,440 and extend the lease for up to 25 years.
City staff told commissioners the original lease — executed with LSA Mobility in 1994 and later assigned to Crown Castle — expired in September 2019. Crown Castle has remained on the site under annual renewals and continued to make payments, staff said.
According to staff, the current annual payment was about $31,395. The proposed new agreement would set the initial annual amount at $52,440, with contract language providing for annual increases of 3% thereafter. A staff presenter described that change as a 167% increase compared with prior payments.
Staff also traced the property’s lease history: two prior amendments addressed generator placement and the assignment to Crown Castle. The newest proposed lease would commence retroactively on Sept. 16, 2024, per the presentation materials shown to commissioners.
Why it matters: The tower sits on public property at a high-traffic recreation facility and the change in the city’s revenue from that asset would be material if the commission approves the renewal at its upcoming public meeting. During the staff review, commissioners asked clarifying questions but did not vote; the item was placed on the commission’s Wednesday agenda for formal consideration.
Supporting details: Staff noted that local market dynamics for wireless infrastructure vary, with many jurisdictions seeing declines in monopole lease payments as carriers densify through smaller cell sites. The presenter said Tamarac’s current negotiated rate remains higher than the typical rate in parts of South Florida, which the city views as a positive for its revenue position. The draft lease term and start date, as well as the dollar figures shown in the presentation, will appear in the formal agenda packet for the public meeting.
The presentation did not include a finalized vote or formal motion; staff said the item will return to the commission for decision at the regular meeting.
Commission-level action status: No formal action recorded at the workshop; the matter was placed on the upcoming commission agenda for decision.
