BRADENTON — The Federal Aviation Administration has rejected the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport's controversial plan to sell a portion of its land to New College of Florida.
"The FAA does not believe the proposal demonstrates a benefit to civil aviation or the national airspace system, other than providing for some operational income that may fund undisclosed aeronautical development," the agency wrote in a letter dated April 10. The agency also noted "concerns with the appraisal for the land, existing lease, and the proposed fair market value of the property."
SRQ is the fastest-growing airport in the country, and critics of the plan suggested that the land would likely be needed for future use. Click here to read the letter in its entirety.
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Cat L
Ha! Hope that derails the plans they destroyed that wonderful school for. And though it is still there, they did destroy it. That was one of the best colleges for autism spectrum people...
Wednesday, April 17 Report this
san.gander
Yes, the airport needs that space... as much vacant space as possible to extend it's life as an urban surrounded easy access airport. It is already drawing all the local passenger traffic, because no one wants to deal with the complicated airport in Tampa. I expect that in the future, the Sarasota-Bradenton's Airport's useful life will end, it will choke on the human urban growth around as so many urban airports in the past... for those of a certain age, think Midway in Chicago, Washington National in D.C., and others. For right now, however, the Sarasota-Bradenton facility is a midsized gem... let's keep it viable.
Wednesday, April 17 Report this
Charles
The airport already holds an enormous amount of land with logical extension toward the east, where hundreds of acres exist for future expansion of the terminal. Their efforts to hold land west of Tamiami Trail is illogical and should be opposed.
Expansion up to the highway could only detract from what is considered the "cultural highlight" of the area with the museum and its gracious entrance. Parking lots and rental properties are the major sources of revenue for the airport, they are busy tearing down commercial structures along Tamiami Trail for — what else but parking!
The destruction of the internationally-known honors college for a jock shop to please the governor is tangential to this story. If there will be no difference, what remains of New College makes no sense abutting another state institution of greater stature offering the same type of education. All the honor students will be gone in three years, the average grade point ratio is plummetting at admissions. The former New College is being turned into a conservative religious institution in a public university system that is being targeted for destruction just as the lower schools in the state system. We are letting a small number of folks destroy the national commitment to separation of church and state, without understanding what will happen when others seek to use the funding for their benefit (beware the next step up in authoritarianism is likely to be funded from the Middle East), a trustee has said that there are too many women on the campus... sounds as if we a more than half way there already.
Wednesday, April 17 Report this