The future of Tallahassee International Airport is reigniting debate about whether a change in leadership is needed.
About five years ago, some business leaders and residents argued that the airport should be placed under an independent agency that would not have to submit to the city’s control and oversight. Many were divided, and public debate eventually died down when elected officials believed the airport was on track to have a major economic impact on the region, even though the citizen-led Airport Advisory Board had recommended such a change.
City officials still consider the airport a commercial success story that now generates $1 billion in annual economic output, but with JetBlue Airways’ sudden decision to pull out of the Tallahassee market by the end of October, others say now is the time for a change.
Ryan Cohn, partner and executive vice president at Sachs Media, is one of them. He was part of the original team of local professionals who worked on the “Get Blue” campaign, an orchestrated effort to close the deal for JetBlue to be the capital’s new airline.
The campaign lasted about two years, and it took another six or seven years before the New York-based budget airline tested the market with a daily nonstop flight from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale in January. Seven months later, the airline announced it was discontinuing the route due to a lack of demand.
“There was so much excitement a year ago when JetBlue was announced to be coming to Tallahassee,” Cohn said. “And then when they pulled out of the market so unexpectedly seven months later, it was like a stab in the back of my heart.”
Cohn sees the authority model as a better means of maximizing the airport’s potential and impact while increasing the chances of offering more flight options. He said it makes sense for the city of Tallahassee to control the airport from an infrastructure perspective, adding, “The city is very good at operating buildings, maintaining infrastructure and introducing new infrastructure.”
“I think at this point they’ve had those successes,” he said, referring to the international processing facility under construction that is scheduled to be completed later this year or in early 2025. “Now it’s time to think about the airport more as a business… It needs to be marketed. We need to promote those products or services, look for new opportunities and new product lines and build new relationships.”
“Now it’s time for an independent company to take this to a whole new level,” he said.
City Manager Reese Goad on the authority model: a “matter of the past”
Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad sees no reason why the airport should make significant changes to its management, adding that the idea of a one-authority model is a “thing of the past.”
He said this was discussed in detail several years ago. Goad said the airport was an economic driver not only for passenger traffic but for all trade. For example, passenger traffic was up more than 15.5% year-on-year, according to a report on overall airport traffic released in June.
“We looked at the different structures that exist in the airport industry a few years ago,” said Goad. “We learned a lot. We found that about a third of airports are private, a third are run directly by the city government and about a third are run by government agencies.”
He said the discussions so far have been informative and have focused more on the main objective, namely how the airport can achieve its strategic objectives.
“I’m really glad we have a good vision for the future,” Goad said. “JetBlue’s announcement was not something we welcomed. Of course I’m unhappy about it. Everyone was of the same mind because it was important to us.”
Given the volatility of the airline industry, Goad said JetBlue’s decision was neither a sign of success nor failure, although some aviation experts and local residents said the loss was a major blow to the airport.
Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce joins debate
Five years ago, the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce hosted a trip to Greenville, South Carolina, which included a tour of the city’s airport.
The tour sparked discussions about a change in leadership, as Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport at the time was handling more than 120 million pounds of cargo and 2.3 million passengers – despite competing with four major airports in close proximity.
Fast forward to this year: With Tallahassee Airport having a billion-dollar economic impact on the region, the Chamber of Commerce is taking a moderate stance in the renewed debate.
Sue Dick, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said she had not heard of much interest in exploring the authority model structure and that “proactive improvements” had been made at the airport, pushed by David Pollard, Tallahassee’s aviation director. She added that the airport was “a critical and valuable regional economic asset.”
“The airport and available sites in the surrounding area provide an opportunity for businesses to locate near a key artery of our economic engine,” Dick said in a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat. “The Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce has historically supported exploring management models for the airport that best position our community for air service and economic development opportunities.”
Contact economic development reporter TaMaryn Waters at [email protected] and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
