Vero Beach airport reports passenger surge, terminal renovation and taxiway projects ahead

Vero Beach Airport Director Todd Shearer reported a near doubling of passenger traffic for one commercial operator in 2024, record yearly aircraft operations and several infrastructure projects now moving into design or construction.

Shearer told the Vero Beach Board & Commissions that Breeze carried 85,728 passengers on 469 flights in 2023 and 175,995 passengers on 1,604 flights in 2024. He said Breeze's reported enplanements for 2024 did not by themselves push the airport over the 100,000 commercial-enplanement threshold used by FDOT for some funding calculations; final totals that include fractional-jet and charter operator reports to the FAA are not yet published.

Shearer said council recently awarded the terminal renovation bid to Procter Construction and that contractor work is scheduled to start in March with substantial completion by December. The renovation will add covered walkways, a covered baggage-claim area, new interior finishes and additional restrooms, Shearer said; the commission will coordinate phasing with the contractor to minimize disruption to airline operations.

On airfield capacity, Shearer reported 264,768 aircraft operations in 2024, passing the airport's prior busiest year (1989). To address congestion and reduce delays, the commission has approved and the city accepted a PTGA that funds design and construction of connector taxiways between Taxiway Charlie and Runway 12R/30L; Shearer said the connector project is roughly a $1,000,000 effort. He also announced an upcoming Taxiway Bravo rehabilitation (a mill and overlay with new signs, markings and lights) expected to take approximately 79–80 days and a separate Taxiway Bravo extension design that is ongoing.

The airport plans to expand paved public parking on a parcel that is about 60% designed; Shearer said the current plan would add between about 80 and 200 paved spaces but final counts depend on stormwater design and site constraints. Council approved an amended PTGA that provides additional funding for more parking, he said.

Shearer said the airport finished a whole-building generator project to supply power to the entire terminal during outages. Work by Diversified Aviation on a hangar complex is underway, and the customs facility being built by Corporate Air has experienced delays; the airport's last update from that operator suggested a March–April opening but no firm date was given.

Other items Shearer flagged: a request made months earlier to the FAA seeking guidance on the possible sale of Citrus Park to a third party (no FAA response yet), informal discussions with a developer about a public–private partnership for a future terminal or parking garage, and staff coordination with county and city officials on an Airport Rescue and Firefighting Index (ARFF) change requested by Breeze to permit higher average daily departures.

Commission members praised staff for the recent FAA acceptance of the airport's safety management system implementation plan and noted the tower will extend hours to 11 p.m. beginning in February (Ben, as mentioned by a commissioner, was cited as the source of that date). Shearer also reported ongoing lease-compliance work with tenants Gerard and Complete Marine; Complete Marine has asked to exercise a lease option but must resolve outstanding city code issues first.

The airport and local partners are planning a Chamber of Commerce 5K on airport property in late February; Corporate Air has offered use of its new hangars for the event, Shearer said.

The report combined operational data, near-term construction work and design-phase capacity projects; most funding approvals described were previously approved by city council or are subject to FAA review.