Local EAA chapter urges Suwannee County to tighten hangar leases to boost airport activity

At the Feb. 4 Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners meeting, members of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 797 asked the board to revise county hangar leases to encourage tenants to base airworthy aircraft at Suwannee County Airport and increase airport operations.

The request matters because airport operations (takeoffs and landings) are used to calculate certain state and federal airport grant allocations, speakers said. Frank Wing, who identified himself as a chapter representative, told commissioners, “airports are not funded through our property taxes at all.” He said fuel sales, FAA Airport Improvement Program grants and Florida Department of Transportation funds for fuel farms are the primary revenue sources the airport uses for improvements.

Wing and chapter president Ed Conrad described several community activities run by the chapter, including monthly meetings, a pancake breakfast, Young Eagles free introductory flights for youth and a publicly staffed volunteer committee to advise on airport matters. Wing said the chapter has a committee forming to “deal with airport issues” and requested to be included when county staff rewrite hangar leases. He also said there is a waiting list for T-hangars “approximately 10 to 12 names” and that some leased hangars appear to hold aircraft that have not flown in years, reducing local fuel sales and the operations count used in grant calculations.

Commissioners did not adopt an immediate policy change. The board’s members deferred to staff and the county attorney on enforcement and legal options and discussed the practical difficulty of monitoring hangar use. A county attorney present told the board that if tenants are current on a valid lease, the county’s ability to demand specific usage is limited without updating lease terms. Commissioners asked staff to review existing lease language and suggested that the airport manager involve the county attorney and the EAA representatives in drafting any new lease provisions.

Frank Wing told the board he had read a copy of the existing lease and that it “does say that the county has the ability to give a 30 day notice and close the lease out without, without any question.” Commissioners noted enforcement and liability concerns if the county attempted to change occupancy rules mid-lease; they said lease revisions could be implemented when individual leases come up for renewal.

The board and staff discussed enforcement practicality, including whether the county could require check-ins or an activity log and how an airport manager with limited staff would implement that monitoring. Commissioners asked the airport manager and county attorney to return with recommended lease language and enforcement options; no formal ordinance or motion was adopted at the meeting.

The EAA representatives emphasized community outreach: volunteer events at the All Aboard festival, bicycle donations and a potential local aviation maintenance training program. Commissioners thanked the group and said they would consider including pilot representatives in the lease-rewrite process.

Ending: The board took no formal action at the Feb. 4 meeting but directed staff and the county attorney to review airport lease language and consider ways to encourage active, fuel-buying tenants. EAA Chapter 797 said it expects to participate in that review.