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Citrus County updates runway, fuel, AWOS and master-plan work; FDOT grants may shift district funding
Summary
Advisory board received progress reports on Crystal River and Inverness airport projects — runway extension environmental work, a fuel farm replacement, AWOS replacement, an age-of-service survey and a master plan kickoff — and staff warned a large FDOT project in Tampa could reduce district grant availability.
Citrus County staff gave the Aviation Advisory Board progress reports on multiple airport projects on Wednesday, and staff warned that a large Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) project in Tampa could reduce grant availability in the district.
Todd Regan, aviation project manager, summarized work in the county’s airports: Crystal River’s runway-extension environmental assessment (EA) remains in progress, the fuel farm contractor Gonzales and Sons is ordering parts and Regan said construction could start once a schedule is set and the county expects a completed fuel facility within about 180 days after work begins. He said the Inverness Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) is aging and will be replaced; the AWOS work is effectively a hardware replacement rather than a tower project.
Regan also reported that a purchase order was issued to begin an age-of-service survey at Crystal River; the county expects to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration on aerial photography and scheduling before the FAA can complete that survey and set approach minimums such as LNAV/LPV for the airport. The Inverness master plan work and a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) component have PO kickoff meetings set, and the county plans on more consultant activity on site beginning July 22.
FDOT funding: Regan told the board he met with Ray Clark of FDOT and that Clark’s district may see a large project in Tampa reportedly "north of $150,000,000." Regan said if that Tampa project is approved it could absorb much of the district’s grant funding and limit money available for smaller airports in the district, including Citrus County fields. "I'm watching that closely to see how that's going to affect other projects," he said.
Grants announced: County staff reported budget awards for airport-related projects: a roughly $3.5 million state allocation for the airport fire station and about $2.9 million for the Halls River multi-use pass; staff said the awards moved through and design phases are ongoing with anticipated construction discussions 6–8 months out.
Other updates: the Inverness corporate hangar remains at about 30% design pending a lease signature from the interested party; airport signage concepts are under review to reflect each city’s character; and the Air Force Research Lab visit has been pushed back to April 2026 with intrusive testing planned when scheduled.
Why it matters: the projects include safety- and service-related upgrades (runway work, AWOS, fuel farm) that affect instrument approach availability, emergency response and tenant services. FDOT’s large project, if funded, could delay or reduce grant support for these upgrades at smaller airports.
Board next steps: staff will continue consultant work, coordinate with the FAA on surveys, and update the board as schedules firm up.
