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Delay will allow formal review of proposed new operating standards at Hernando airport

 
The proposed standards are so strict that they would discourage businesses from operating at the airport, officials say.
The proposed standards are so strict that they would discourage businesses from operating at the airport, officials say.
Published Sept. 25, 2014

BROOKSVILLE — Fears that new restrictive rules affecting current and future businesses at Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport were being fast-tracked without proper reviews were quelled this week when the County Commission voted to delay a vote on the proposal until later this year.

That vote came in the wake of a lengthy and testy discussion last week during an informal review of the new minimum operating standards for the airport by the Aviation Authority. The delay will now allow for a formal review and recommendation by the authority before a decision is made.

The proposed standards, drawn up by airport master planning consultant Michael Baker Jr. Inc., were so strict that authority Chairman Dennis Wilfong said they would make Tampa Bay Regional "the toughest airport in Florida" when it comes to attracting another fixed-base operator.

Having that kind of reputation would not bode well for future business development, County Administrator Len Sossamon told the County Commission on Tuesday.

The discussion is not a new one. Fixed-base operators offer multiple services at an airport, such as fueling, tie-downs, flight schools, hangars and other aeronautical services.

Last year, a Clearwater-based airplane mechanics business, Corporate Jet Solutions, fought a tough battle to gain permission from the county to operate at the Hernando airport. It became only the second FBO. The fight included a lot of discussion about competition that Corporate Jet Solutions posed to American Aviation, which has operated in Hernando for decades.

Another local businessman — Michael Honeycutt of the air ambulance company Jet ICU — also has come forward seeking permission to become an FBO. But the new minimum operating standards would shut his business out of contention because he would need a larger building than he has, a larger concrete ramp area around the building and a larger parcel for his business.

Airport consultant Richard Osborne told the Aviation Authority that the proposed standards met the criteria of what was currently in place at each of the other FBOs. The idea was to be sure that any new FBOs would not have an unfair advantage.

Honeycutt was notified last week that his FBO application was deficient on several grounds, including the lack of a business plan and financial records the airport requires, failing to meet standards for ramp size and fuel tanks, and pending litigation.

During the Aviation Authority discussion, Honeycutt argued that raising the standards was akin to turning away small businesses from a community and opting instead for larger, chain-type establishments.

"We no longer want a small bank in our community. We want Wells Fargo,'' he said. "I can pack up. Just send me the letter that you want me to leave, and I'll leave.''

Former Aviation Authority member and frequent airport critic Dave Lemon had pages of concerns he had with the proposal on the new standards. He said they micromanaged the airport operation.

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Other standards that riled the critics included requirements for financial disclosures as well as requirements to provide the tail numbers of aircraft housed at the airport, which some likened to giving the airport a list of their clients.

"I know what it is like to go through the rigor of a public flogging for minimum operating standards,'' said Bradley Dye, vice president of Corporate Jet Solutions. Disclosure of his personal credit report, he said, exposed him to identity theft.

"I blame the process we went through on that,'' Dye said.

He also voiced concern that there had been mixed messages on whether the new standards, some of which his business might not meet, would now apply to him.

At Tuesday's commission meeting, some of the same critics and businesses urged a delay in establishing the new standards until they could be thoroughly vetted, discussed and changed to be more inclusive.

Commissioner Nick Nicholson said he had spoken with Wilfong, who was "visibly upset'' and who asked for the delay in the discussion.

"This does need to be postponed to get everything going in the right direction,'' Nicholson said.

The delay will allow a full review by all of the proper agencies, including the Aviation Authority, county officials said.

The new rules would "stifle both new and existing business,'' said resident Pat Miketinac. "This creates more problems than it solves.''

"This is so important,'' Wilfong said. "The airport is one of the engines that drives our economic development in our county. … I was very concerned about rushing into it.''

Sossamon agreed.

"We don't need to have the reputation of being the most difficult,'' he said. "We need to make this the place to be, not the place people don't want to come to.''

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at bbehrendt@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1434.