Citrus County says Board ratified termination of FBO lease; operator disputes move

Citrus County officials told the Citrus County Aviation Advisory Board on a July meeting that the Board of County Commissioners ratified termination of the county’s FBO lease at Inverness Airport, while the business operating on the field said it still considers the lease valid and will continue to operate during a legal process.

Carlton Hall, Citrus County public works director, told the advisory board that after a county review identified deficiencies in the lease obligations, the county’s aviation attorney sent a letter asking the tenant to respond within 30 days; when the tenant did not accept the identified requirement, "the county decided to send a termination letter," and the BOCC subsequently "ratified the termination of that lease."

The issue surfaced in public comment when Andy Shand, who identified himself as "with Freight Rudder Aviation FBO with the Inverness Airport," told the board: "we have a valid, legally enforceable lease in place" and asked the board to honor the lease and allow him to speak again if the topic is revisited. Todd Regan, aviation project manager, described immediate county steps to ensure continuity of services: "we're going ahead and setting up a mobile office for the county at the airport just so we have a presence there" and the county is arranging backup fuel trucks if fuel becomes unavailable.

Why it matters: if the county assumes operations, it would negotiate directly with tenants who currently pay rent to the on-site operator; any transition could affect day-to-day services such as fuel, hangar access and flight school operations. Hall said the county is working through the legal process to effect a lawful termination and that "at this point, Mister Chan and Wright Rudder Aviation are still operating at the airport, and we're moving through a legal process that's gonna take place to be able to, terminate that lease legally." (Transcript language preserved where used.)

Discussion vs. decision: Board action to ratify the termination occurred at the Board of County Commissioners meeting and was described to the advisory board; the Aviation Advisory Board did not vote to terminate. Advisory-board discussion focused on next steps and notification: members asked whether the county would run an RFP/RFQ to procure a new FBO operator or operate the airport as a county-run facility. Hall said the county will present options to the BOCC for a future decision. Board members requested the advisory board be given an opportunity to comment if the county seeks a new operator via RFP/RFQ.

Operational context and immediate protections: Regan said county staff and the current operator met on site the day after the BOCC action to verify operations and that fuel pumps continued to function. Hall said medevac operations had seen "no interruption" and that the county planned to notify and negotiate directly with tenants if and when the county assumes control.

What remains unresolved: the county said a legal process is underway; the advisory board and county staff did not provide a firm date for any change in operator control. Hall said the county will reach out to each tenant affected by any change and "negotiate the takeover of those leases."