Citrus County staff briefed the Aviation Advisory Board on a proposed ground-lease template that will go to the Board of County Commissioners for review on Jan. 14 and explained how new lease terms intersect with current hangar availability.

The briefing matters because the template and the county’s updated hangar lease are intended to clarify how airport property is leased for new buildings, how quickly vacant hangars are filled, and what timelines apply to lessees building structures on leased ground.

Staff reported that Inverness has 16 hangars with three vacancies and about 30 applicants on a waiting list; Crystal River has about 20 T-hangars with one vacancy and roughly 30 on its waiting list, plus two box hangars with no vacancies and five on the list. Staff said some vacancies are effectively committed to applicants pending lease signatures. The county recently developed a new hangar lease template; staff said once the template is finalized, the county will proceed with signing and filling the vacancies.

Board members asked about a 24-month build window contained in the proposed ground-lease template — the period given to a tenant to construct an approved building after lease execution. Staff said prospective tenants should be aware of ongoing infrastructure work tied to Phase 2 (the taxiway connection) and that the timing of taxiway completion could affect a tenant’s decision to build on a particular parcel. Staff estimated the aviation-side completion for Phase 2 would not be for several years.

Staff also reported the corporate hangar at Inverness is at about 30 percent design and lease terms are under negotiation with a potential client; the airport attorney has the draft lease for review. The board was informed that the BOCC planned to review the ground-lease template and that the advisory board would be informed of any BOCC action.

Ending

No BOCC approvals occurred at the meeting; staff will continue lease finalization and present items to the BOCC as appropriate.