Gulf County board accepts FDOT airport design grant as debate continues over proposed White City airport

County commissioners on May 20 voted to accept a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) appropriation and adopt a resolution to secure state design funding for a proposed White City airport, while a longer public discussion centered on airspace, project scale and funding, and the need to consult with Tyndall Air Force Base.

The board voted to accept the FDOT grant agreement and to adopt a related resolution (motions were made and seconded during the meeting; the actions passed unanimously). The grant is described in meeting materials as an FDOT appropriation intended to support design work for the airport project; commissioners were told the appropriation must be accepted and encumbered now even if construction is years away.

Commissioners and members of the public spent the bulk of the meeting discussing a draft feasibility effort presented by CHA Consulting and public comments submitted or delivered at the meeting. Paul Puckley, an airport consultant with CHA Consulting, told commissioners the firm had completed an evaluation and believes an airport with an initial 5,000-foot runway — with potential to expand to about 6,500 feet later — could serve corporate activity and medevac needs in Gulf County. Puckley said the county’s local cash…