(1) A person proposing the construction or alteration of an obstruction must obtain a permit from the department, subject to subsections (2), (3), and (4). However, permits from the department will be required only within an airport hazard area where federal obstruction standards are exceeded and if the proposed construction or alteration is within a 10-nautical-mile radius of the airport reference point, located at the approximate geometric center of all usable runways of a public-use airport or military airport.

(2) Existing, planned, and proposed facilities on public-use airports contained in an airport master plan, in an airport layout plan submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration, or in comparable military documents shall be protected from airport hazards.

(3) A permit is not required for existing structures that received construction permits from the Federal Communications Commission for structures exceeding federal obstruction standards before May 20, 1975; a permit is not required for any necessary replacement or repairs to such existing structures if the height and location are unchanged.

(4) If political subdivisions have, in compliance with this chapter, adopted adequate airport protection zoning regulations, placed such regulations on file with the department’s aviation office, and established a permitting process, a permit for the construction or alteration of an obstruction is not required from the department. Upon receipt of a complete permit application, the local government shall provide a copy of the application to the department’s aviation office by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by a delivery service that provides a receipt evidencing delivery. To evaluate technical consistency with this subsection, the department shall have a 15-day review period following receipt of the application, which must run concurrently with the local government permitting process. Cranes, construction equipment, and other temporary structures in use or in place for a period not to exceed 18 consecutive months are exempt from the department’s review, unless such review is requested by the department.

(5) The department shall, within 30 days after receipt of an application for a permit, issue or deny a permit for the construction or alteration of an obstruction. The department shall review permit applications in conformity with s. 120.60.

(6) In determining whether to issue or deny a permit, the department shall consider:

(a) The safety of persons on the ground and in the air.

(b) The safe and efficient use of navigable airspace.

(c) The nature of the terrain and height of existing structures.

(d) The effect of the construction or alteration of an obstruction on the state licensing standards for a public-use airport contained in chapter 330 and rules adopted thereunder.

(e) The character of existing and planned flight operations and developments at public-use airports.

(f) Federal airways, visual flight rules, flyways and corridors, and instrument approaches as designated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

(g) The effect of the construction or alteration of an obstruction on the minimum descent altitude or the decision height at the affected airport.

(h) The cumulative effects on navigable airspace of all existing obstructions and all known proposed obstructions in the area.

(7) When issuing a permit under this section, the department shall require the owner of the obstruction to install, operate, and maintain, at the owner’s expense, marking and lighting in conformance with the specific standards established by the Federal Aviation Administration.

(8) The department may not approve a permit for the construction or alteration of an obstruction unless the applicant submits documentation showing both compliance with the federal requirement for notification of proposed construction or alteration and a valid aeronautical study. A permit may not be approved solely on the basis that the Federal Aviation Administration determined that the proposed construction or alteration of an obstruction was not an airport hazard.

(9) The denial of a permit under this section is subject to administrative review pursuant to chapter 120.

History.—s. 3, ch. 75-16; s. 3, ch. 88-356; s. 7, ch. 92-152; s. 2, ch. 2016-209; s. 22, ch. 2016-239.