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Commission hears airport taxiway rehab, remote tower timeline and airport layout plan priorities
Summary
Airport staff updated the Winter Haven City Commission on taxiway pavement needs, remote tower deployment timing, the airport layout plan and designated areas for Advanced Air Mobility; FDOT and FAA grants and timelines were cited.
Airport Director Troy Heidel told the Winter Haven City Commission the airport’s pavement condition index (PCI) scored 83 in the most recent FDOT inspection and that T-hangar taxi lanes on the south side show fair to very poor conditions that require mill-and-overlay or full reconstruction. The city has an FDOT grant to fund design of the taxiway rehabilitation project.
Heidel reported a recent visit to the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City and said testing there informs pavement mix standards. He said the remote tower deployment is advancing: consoles and infrastructure are being staged, the physical remote tower components are expected on site at the end of this year or early next year, and the system could come online “somewhere between mid-’26 to mid-’27,” contingent on FAA requirements.
Heidel also reviewed the airport layout plan (ALP), which staff said is a central planning tool for FAA and FDOT funding requests. Projects identified on the ALP include Commerce Park phases, new T-hangar rows, corporate hangars, and designated areas for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations, a term staff used to describe emerging electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.
Staff emphasized Winter Haven’s location between Tampa and Orlando as advantageous for AAM and said the airport’s position and local tourism could make it suitable for future AAM activity. The presentation noted that Bartow’s current remote tower console is shown in images and that Winter Haven staff are setting up an identical console for the Winter Haven Control Center. No formal commission action was recorded in the transcript on the items presented.
Discussion only: staff presented updates and timelines, including grant status, ALP priorities and remote tower deployment windows. Direction/assignment: staff reported next steps for design and grant funding; the presentation identified projects to pursue for funding. Formal action: none recorded in the transcript.
