Advisory board hears Fly USA proposal for Clearwater Airpark lease; vote produces no clear recommendation

A special meeting of the Airpark Advisory Board considered staff’s recommendation to authorize lease negotiations with Fly USA for Clearwater Airpark, hearing presentations from city staff and the Fly USA team and extended public comment on safety, noise, tenant displacement and financing.

Eric Gandy, director of Marine and Aviation, told the board the city issued an RFP because the existing lease is expiring and the process required competitive proposals. He said the RFP asked respondents to “emphasize flight and neighborhood safety and also to bring higher value but less intensive activities,” and that a volunteer selection committee reviewed four sealed responses before recommending Fly USA.

Fly USA representatives, including Barry Chevlin, CEO of Fly USA, and Brian Onks Jr., outlined a proposal that they say commits private capital to build a new fixed-base operator (FBO), add hangars and carry out parts of the air park layout plan adopted in 2020. Chevlin said the company intends to reduce intensive flight-school activity and “prepare the airport for the future of aviation,” and that Fly USA’s response to the RFP was the only one to commit private funds to execute the 2020 Air Park Layout Plan.

Chevlin cited industry data to address safety and noise concerns, saying turbines have lower engine-failure rates than piston engines (he referenced FAA and Pratt & Whitney figures during his remarks) and offering…