Fernandina Municipal Airport - An opinion

Submitted by Lou Goldman 

November 24, 2015 6:00 a.m.

Over two years ago 8 Flags Aviation approached the City with a request to lease space for a second FBO at the airport. 8 Flags wanted to go on the north side of the field next to the current FBO where there is existing ramp space, land for a building and available infrastructure. The City wanted 8 Flags to lease on the east side of the airport where there is no access or infrastructure. The negotiations went on for a long time and gave the appearance of the City dragging their heels to allow a second FBO on the airport. The issue was presented to the FAA and the City received a letter from the FAA saying that a private company cannot have a monopoly on the airport and that the City had to deal with 8 Flags.

Now, it gets a little convoluted and the short story is- the City decided they wanted a Welcome Center built at the airport and that it would be a public/private partnership and so a Request For Proposal (RFP) was sent out and awarded to 8 Flags Aviation. The City hired an outside attorney to review the lease agreements with Eight Flags. Now the current FBO is complaining about bid and scoring irregularities in the RFP. The outside attorney was then asked to review the issues raised by the McGills raising the total for attorney's fees to $8,000.

Should the McGills present a proposal to the City, it will be on leased space on the north and east sides of the airport which includes property that 8 Flags originally wanted to lease.

I just don't understand why:

• The City didn't initially lease the unleased part of the ramp and adjacent land on the north side of the airport to 8 Flags. This is where 8 Flags originally wanted to go over two years ago. We would have had an operating FBO making payments to the City without any complications and/or need for an outside attorney.
• The City felt there is a need for a Welcome Center at the airport. All FBO's have their own Welcome Centers for visiting pilots and passengers. And remember the City built a Welcome Center at the marina, which was not needed and is now a Shrimp Museum.
• The City didn't follow the recommendation of their own Airport Advisory Committee, which was to have the two FBO's side by side with a building in between which could be either a Welcome Center or an Operational Building.
• The City would lease land to 8 Flags that is already leased to McGill and that lease is for another two years. This means that 8 Flags can't use the property that they are leasing for two more years or until the original lease with McGill is over.
• The City feels that there is no more useful life in the McGill building and hanger and that they have to be demolished.

Is this entire issue handled in the best interests of the citizens of Fernandina Beach?

Editor's Note: Lou Goldman, a native Floridian, moved to Fernandina Beach in 1996 from Daytona Beach. He is an FAA licensed pilot and since 1959 has logged over 3,000 hours of flight time. For 10 years he served on City of Fernandina Beach Airport Advisory Committee.