The Brooksville Tampa-Bay Regional Airport minimum operating standards were last updated in May of 2004. These standards determine if a business qualifies to operate at the airport. Kevin Daughtery, airport manager, explained at the February 9th 2016 commission meeting that the airport is seeking to update those standards to bring them on par with current FAA recommendations. Concerned citizens argued that the current standards already meet what the FAA recommends and placing the bar any higher will ward off smaller businesses looking to grow.
The ordinance also took concerned citizens by surprise at the February 9th meeting, as they were not aware of modifications of the ordinance following public workshops during the summer of 2014. The board adopted the minimum operating standards ordinance with a postponed effective date, which will allow the board to make modifications to the ordinance at a public workshop on March 8th after further discussion with the public.
Daughtery read aloud the five recommendations by the FAA for minimum operating standards:
1. Safety in all airport activities
2. Protect users from unlicensed and unauthorized products and services
3. Maintain and enhance the availability of adequate services for all airport users
4. Promote the orderly development of airport land
5. Ensure efficiency of operations
The other goal in updating these standards is to protect the interests of existing customers. The new regulations for a fixed base operator will create a higher barrier to entry with the new minimum operating standards requiring 10 contiguous acres, 20,000 square feet of hangar space, 90,000 square feet of paved ramp to accommodate planes with a 79′ wingspan, 2000 square feet of office space and retail fuel sales. The minimum operating standards adopted in 2004 require a lease of at least 3 acres within the airport, erect a hangar of no less than 9000 square feet, provide for and maintain no less than 40,000 square feet of ramp area and 2000 square feet of office/floor space. Daughtery explained, “We have existing tenants along with the county that have invested millions upon millions of dollars into the airport. We wanted to be a first class facility, we want safety first, yeah we do want to protect existing customers.”
Commissioner Nicholson stated, “One of the important things I think in the updated operating standards is that anyone wanting to come to the airport would not have an unfair advantage over people already there. Before they wrote the document over again people could come in and have a competitive advantage because they wouldn’t have to do some of the things existing people operating their businesses out there would have to do.”
Some worry that the proposed requirements create too much of a barrier. Pat Miketinac, a former aircraft mechanic and FAA Authorized Inspector, stated “To me, that would be like trying to establish a business to compete with Walmart’s auto center, but being required to build a supercenter first. Why should a new business be required to meet the level of investment that took decades for established businesses to reach?… I believe that the proposed ordinance will result in businesses going elsewhere to be established where regulations are not so restrictive.”
Dave Lemon, an operator at the airport for ten years stated, “I’ve been a flight instructor for 40 years. I don’t need a building with 2000 square feet of office space. I don’t need two airplanes to conduct it. When I’m a flight instructor, (holding up his cell phone) here’s my office.”
He continued, “Aircraft sales: we got to have a 4000 square foot hangar, we’ve got to have 2000 square feet of office space, 10,000 square feet of ramp space and virtually all aircraft sales and brokerage are done right here (holding up his tablet). We don’t move airplanes to different airports and make a parking lot like carfax to sell airplanes. We need a little office space at the airport, a good internet connection and we’re in business. ”
It does not seem that the new minimum operating standards have changed for aircraft sales and flight school operations. Each remain with a requirement for a combined hangar and office space of 4000 square feet, 10,000 square feet of ramp space and 1 contiguous acre of land to operate on. Flight school operations still require 2 properly certificated airplanes.
Daughtery explained that in developing the new standards, they met with the public during two workshops in 2014 that culminated in 12 hours of discussion. He further stated that they used feedback from the workshop and in turn:
- Relaxed requirements on FBO section for disabled aircraft services
- Relaxed requirements under the flight training section
- Added some flexibility under the aircraft management and charter services section.
He added that the Board of County Commissioners has the authority to waive any of the minimum operating standards for a business that might not meet certain requirements.
Commissioner Dukes stated that he understands why they are setting the standards high. He continued, “…but when you say minimum standard, that usually means, make sure the planes land wheel first and that sort of stuff… I’m concerned about some of the restrictions when we’re looking to bring in more people.”
Commissioner Dukes also expressed concern with having to potentially overrule with regularity the standards that took the airport two years to develop.
Commissioner Rowden explained her position, “My feeling is that the standards should be those that influence viable, sustainable businesses to come to Hernando County… I think we need to move forward with it. If there are issues, people can come to the airport manager, business development director, then it comes to the board.”
The board voted 5-0 to adopt the ordinance with a postponed effective date of two months. During the two month interim, changes can be made to the ordinance which will allow for a workshop to be held on March 8th to discuss the new minimum operating standards and make any necessary changes.
It will be interesting to see if or how the ordinance will change at the the public workshop. Without making any changes, the ordinance seems to favor established businesses at the airport who are strongly invested.