NAPLES, Fla. – As discussions continue about relocating Naples Airport, new details have emerged about the feasibility and potential cost of such a project.
According to a consulting firm hired by the city, relocating the airport would cost between $1 billion and $1.6 billion. The firm released its final draft of the study, which provides an overview of estimated costs and logistics for four sites being considered as possible locations for a new airport.
The project is still in the early planning stages, but this study opens the door for airport authority officials to potentially move the plan forward.
“We have not been able to find a single airport user who is a tenant of the airport and wants the airport to be relocated,” said Christel Johnson, a Naples real estate agent. Johnson is actively protesting the relocation plans and started a petition several months ago that has collected hundreds of signatures.
“There’s one board member who will definitely advocate for this,” she added. “But I think the rest are very reasonable and have common sense. They’re listening to the majority of the public, to the people who use the airport, and they’re going to ask, ‘Who’s going to pay for this?'”
The airport authority’s study acknowledges that relocating the airport would be a 15- to 20-year undertaking. Despite local opposition, the study has its supporters.
“Our small site, which is only one square mile in today’s airport area, is completely outdated for our size,” said Joseph Migliara of the Old Naples Association.
Migliara was surprised by the projected cost, but said the move makes sense in the long run, considering factors such as noise, the county’s growth and recent accidents, including a plane crash on I-75 that could be a sign the area’s airport is becoming too big for it.
“So, yes, I think we need to think about this long-term and find a practical solution to move the airport to a location that can accommodate the whole county, because right now it is operated as a regional airport. It is no longer a municipal airport,” Migliara added.
The Naples Airport Authority Board of Directors is expected to discuss the study at its next meeting on August 15.
