(A) A registrant shall place and maintain its communications facility in public rights-of-way in a manner consistent with accepted industry practice and applicable codes and must comply with the 2017 edition of the Florida Department of Transportation Utility Accommodation Manual. For purpose of complying with the notice and approval requirements contained within the 2017 edition of the Florida Department of Transportation Utility Accommodation Manual, the registrant shall provide notice and seek approval from the City Manager. All safety practices required by applicable codes or accepted industry practices and standards shall be used during the placement or maintenance of communications facilities, including but not limited to, Chapter 33 of the Florida Building Code. Registrant shall use and exercise due caution, care and skill in performing work in the public rights-of-way, and shall take all reasonable steps to safeguard work site areas including maintenance of traffic.
(B) In connection with excavation in the public rights-of-way, the requirements of this chapter shall control to the extent of any conflict with the City Code.
(C) In addition, in connection with excavation in the public rights-of-way, a registrant shall, where applicable, comply with the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act set forth in F.S. Chapter 556, as it may be amended. In the event of any conflicts with existing utilities or utility service laterals, the proposed location of the communications facility will be adjusted, not the utility.
(D) To the extent not inconsistent with applicable codes, underground cables, where required, shall have consistent alignment parallel with the edge of pavement, a 36-inch depth of cover for the paved portion of roadways, sidewalks and driveway aprons a 24-inch to 30-inch depth of cover in all areas except the paved portion of roadways, sidewalks and driveway aprons, and shall have a three- foot horizontal clearance from underground utilities and their appurtenances. Below grade communication facility shall not be allowed under a swale or ditch unless such restriction is waived by the City Manager with appropriate conditions of a permit that the registrant or permittee clean or re-excavate the swale or ditch to its appropriate grade prior to installation of the facility.
(E) Grounding rods and pull boxes. The grounding rod may not extend above the top of the pubiic right-of-way or sidewalk and must be placed in a pull box, and the ground wire between the pole and ground rod must be inside an underground conduit. All pull boxes shall be vehicle load bearing, comply with applicable codes and FDOT Standard specification 635 and be listed on the FDOT Approved Products List. A concrete pad shall be installed around all pull boxes not located in the sidewalk. No pull boxes shall be located in pedestrian ramps.
(F) Consistent with applicable codes and city regulations, the city may require the use of trenchless technology (i.e., directional bore method) or may prohibit underground missile boring for the installation of facilities underground in the public rights-of-way. The registrant shall be solely liable for the displacement, damage or destruction of any property, public rights-of-way, irrigation system, utility, or landscaping as a result of the placement or maintenance of its facility within the public rights-of-way. The city may issue such rules and regulations concerning the method for placement or maintenance of a communications facility in public rights-of-way as may be consistent with this chapter and other applicable codes and standards. The provisions of this subsection are not intended to prevent the use of any method of construction not specifically prescribed by this subsection, provided that any such method has been approved by the city.
(G) In an effort to minimize adverse impacts and disruption in the public rights-of-way and to other municipal improvements, the city may require a communications services provider to coordinate the placement or maintenance of its facilities with any work, construction, installation in or repairs of the subject public rights-of-way or other facilities therein, that is occurring or is scheduled to occur within a reasonable time from the date(s) requested in the communications services provider's permit application. The city may require a registrant to alter reasonably its placement or maintenance schedule as necessary to minimize disruptions and disturbance in the public rights-of-way. The city may provide a more definite time frame based on specific city construction or maintenance schedules. Within the public rights-of-way, every communications services provider shall make space available in its trench and/or conduit to other communications services providers to the extent consistent with the federal requirements of 47 U.S.C. § 224. Every communications services provider shall utilize existing conduits, pathways and other facilities whenever possible, and shall not place or maintain any new, different, or additional poles, conduits, pathways or other facilities, whether in the public rights-of-way or on privately owned property, until written approval is obtained from the city or other appropriate governmental authority, and, where applicable, from the private property owner.
(H) Limits on excavation in restored rights-of-way. To avoid continual disruption and degradation to the public rights-of-way and in the interest of public safety, an area of the public rights-of-way that has been subject to excavation and restored shall not be subject to re-excavation until at least three years following the completion of such restoration, to the extent not inconsistent with applicable codes and law, unless waived by the city. If the areas where the excavation is to occur has not been fully restored by a permittee, the subsequent permittee may apply for and the city may issue a permit that requires the subsequent permittee to restore the public rights-of-way to the original condition and to warrant such restoration consistent with this chapter. Registrants seeking to place communications facilities in the public rights-of-way through excavation are strongly encouraged to contact other registrants and communications services providers to coordinate the placement of communications facilities in the public rights-of-way.
(I) Trees. A registrant shall comply with the requirements of the City Code and Zoning and Land Development Regulations with respect to the proposed removal or disturbance of any trees on private property. A registrant shall not prune, remove or materially disturb trees during placement or maintenance of communications facilities, small wireless facilities, micro wireless facility, or utility poles in the public rights-of-way, unless approved pursuant to an applicable permit issued by the city, to the extent not inconsistent with applicable law. Tree removal or pruning is not permitted within the public rights-of-way to increase signal strength or to provide a line-of-sight for wireless facilities. Landscaping may only be disturbed or removed during placement or maintenance of communications facilities pursuant to a permit issued by the city. The city may require that any landscaping or trees so removed shall be replaced or mitigated in accordance with the approved mitigation plan.
(J) Restoration of public rights-of-way. A registrant shall, at its own expense, restore the public rights-of-way to at least its original condition before such work in public rights-of-way was initiated, subject to the city's satisfaction upon inspection. Registrant shall warrant its restoration for a period of 12 months after completion of such restoration. If the registrant fails to make such restoration within seven calendar days after completion of construction, or such other time as may be required by the city, the city may, after written notice to the registrant, perform such restoration using city employees, agents or contractors, and charge all costs of the restoration to the registrant in accordance with F.S. § 337.402, as it may be amended, and require reimbursement within 30 days after the submission of the invoice by the city to the registrant. Consistent with the City Code, if the registrant fails to complete restoration work by the estimated date for completion listed in the permit, following notice to the registrant or permittee, the city shall have the right to restore the right-of-way and to charge the registrant or permittee for actual costs of such restoration work plus 25% of such costs for administrative expenses, to the extent not inconsistent with F.S. § 337.402, as it may be amended. The costs and administrative expenses shall not be eligible for credit against any other payments that may be owed by the registrant to the city. Consistent with the City Code, the City Manager shall make inspections to administer and enforce the provisions of this subsection. The registrant or permittee shall notify the City Manager 48 hours prior to commencing construction and at the time of completion of work under the permit. Upon completion, the City Manager shall inspect the work to determine whether the restoration has been acceptably completed. In such event, the city shall notify the applicant in writing that the 12-month restoration warranty period has begun.
(K) A registrant shall immediately notify the city of any damage to city utilities, city fiber or other city facilities as a result of a registrant's construction in the public rights-of-way. The registrant shall repair such damage at its expense within the time frame required by the city given the nature of the damage and impact on city services. In its discretion, the city may repair or arrange for the repair of such damage and charge such expense to the registrant.
(L) Any communications facilities heretofore or hereafter placed upon, under, over, or along any public rights-of-way that are found by the city to be unreasonably interfering in any way with the convenient, safe or continuous use or the maintenance, improvement, extension or expansion of such public rights-of-way shall, upon 30 days' written notice to the registrant or its agent, be removed or relocated by such registrant at its own expense except as explicitly provided under F.S. § 337.403. The city may waive or extend the time within which a registrant shall remove or relocate a communications facility for good cause shown.
(M) Removal or relocation at the direction of the city of a registrant's communications facility in public rights-of-way shall be governed by the provisions of F.S. §§ 337.403 and 337.404, as they may be amended. Subject to F.S. § 337.403, whenever an order of the city requires such removal or change in the location of any communications facility from the public rights-of-way, and the facility owner fails to remove or charge the same at its own expense to conform to the order within the time stated in the notice, the city may proceed to cause the communications facility to be removed. The expense thereby incurred except as provided in F.S. §§ 337.403(1)(a) to (c), shall be paid out of any money available therefor, and such expense shall be charged against the registrant of the communications facility and levied, collected and paid to the city.
(N) Subject to F.S. § 337.403, whenever it shall be necessary for the city to remove or relocate any communications facility, the registrant of the communications facility shall be given notice of such removal or relocation and an order requiring the payment of the costs thereof, and shall be given reasonable time, which shall not be less than 20 nor more than 30 days in which to appear before the City Commission to contest the reasonableness of the order. Should the registrant not appear, the determination of the cost to the registrant shall be final, in accordance with F.S. § 337.404.
(O) A final order of the city shall constitute a lien on any property of the registrant and may be enforced by filing an authenticated copy of the order in the office of the clerk of the circuit court of the county wherein the registrant's property is located and/or by drawing upon the registrant's bond.
(P) The city retains the right and privilege to cut or move any communications facilities located within the public rights-of-way of the city, as the city may determine to be necessary, appropriate or useful in response to any public health or safety emergency.
(Q) The city shall have the right to make such inspections of facilities placed or maintained in public rights-of-way as it finds necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter. The city shall have access without charge to any manholes or hand holes at any time, of a communications services provider in which the city has facilities, provided the city has given such provider reasonable prior notice so that such provider can have trained personnel present when the accesses such manholes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the city, in the proper exercise of its municipal police powers and duties with respect to the public rights-of-way, shall have access to all manholes and hand holes without charge of such provider. In the event the city determines that a violation exists with respect to registrant's placement or maintenance of facilities in the public rights-of-way that is not considered to be an emergency or danger to the public health, safety or welfare, the city will provide registrant no less than three days written notice setting forth the violation and requesting correction.
(R) Following the completion of construction to place a new or replace an existing communications facility in the public rights-of-way, the registrant shall promptly provide revised plans and "as-builts" upon completion of any installation or construction. The plans shall be in a digitized PDF and CAD (Computer Aided Design) file formats, showing the two-dimensional and GIS location of the facilities, based on the city's geographical database or other format acceptable to or required by the city. The registrant shall provide such plans at no cost to the city. The city shall maintain the confidentiality of such plans and any other information provided in accordance with F.S. § 202.195, as it may be amended.
(S) The city reserves the right to place and maintain, and permit to be placed or maintained, sewer, gas, water, electric, storm drainage, communications, and other facilities, fiber, cables or conduit, and to do, and to permit to be done, any underground and overhead installation or improvement that may be deemed necessary or proper by the city in public rights-of-way occupied by the registrant. To the extent not inconsistent with applicable law, a registrant shall allow city facilities to be collocated within city's public rights-of-way through the use of a joint trench during registrant's construction project. Such joint trench projects shall be negotiated in good faith by separate agreement between registrant and city and may be subjected to other city rights-of-way requirements. The city further reserves without limitation the right to alter, change, or cause to be changed, the grading, installation, relocation or width of the public rights-of-way within the limits of the city as same may from time to time be altered.
(T) A registrant shall, on the request of any person holding a permit issued by the city, temporarily raise or lower its communications facilities to permit the work authorized by the permit. The expense of such temporary raising or lowering of facilities shall be paid by the person requesting the same, and the registrant shall have the authority to require such payment in advance. The registrant shall be given not less than 30 days advance written notice to arrange for such temporary relocation. If the city requests a temporary raising or lowering of a facility for a public purpose, the city shall not be charged for the temporary raising or lowering of the facility.
(U) This chapter does not authorize a person to collocate or attach wireless facilities, including any antenna, micro wireless facility, or small wireless facility, on a privately owned utility pole, a utility pole owned by an electric cooperative or a municipal electric utility, a privately owned wireless support structure, or other private property without the consent of the property owner.
(V) Abandonment.
(1) Upon determination by a registrant or communications services provider that one or more of its communications facilities in the public rights-of-way is to be abandoned, the provider shall notify the city no later than 90 days from such determination, or no later than 30 days following such abandonment, whichever is sooner. The city may independently establish that a communications facility has been abandoned. In reaching such determination, the city may request documentation and/or affidavits from the communications services provider or registrant regarding the active or intended use of the facility. If the provider or registrant fails to provide the requested documentation within 30 days, which may be extended by the city, a rebuttable presumption shall exist that the provider or registrant has abandoned the communications facility. Any above ground or below ground communications facility, including but not limited to a small wireless facility, micro wireless facility, utility pole for collocation of a small wireless facility, fiber, conduit, or other communications facility installed within the public rights-of-way that is abandoned shall be removed and the area of the public rights-of-way restored to its original condition by the registrant or communications services provider at its expense by the time period established by the city. Failure to remove an abandoned facility within such time the period shall be deemed to be the registrant's or communications provider's consent for the city to remove the facility at the registrant's or provider's expense or for the city to allow another person to remove the facility at the registrant's or provider's expense. The communications services provider or registrant shall be responsible for all damage to the public rights-of-way and any facilities or utilities damaged as a result of such removal, and shall restore the public rights-of-way as required in this subjection.
(2) If there are two or more users of a single facility, then this provision shall not become effective until all users cease using the facility. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the facility is attached to an existing structure that has an independent function such as a light pole, intersection signal, pedestrian signal, utility pole or the like, said abandonment of the facility requires removal of the facility only and does not require the removal of the existing structure.
(Ord. O-2020-14, passed 10-7-20)