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Airport outreach manager reports increased community engagement, PAPI lights funding and master‑plan outreach
Summary
Venice’s airport community outreach manager said direct communication with residents and pilots reduced complaints, the airport has secured funding to restore PAPI approach lights, and the master‑plan team will hold multiple public sessions next season.
David Sewrillo, the City of Venice’s community outreach manager for Venice Municipal Airport, reported to the council that a program of direct outreach to residents and pilots has improved communications, reduced complaint volume and helped identify technical fixes to recurring issues.
Sewrillo and Airport Manager Nicholas Dumas described weekly contacts with local pilots (the “lunch bunch”), regular newsletters, social‑media posts and direct email alerts to neighborhood distribution lists. Sewrillo said being added to an existing neighborhood email list gave him direct access to residents and allowed the airport to warn neighborhoods in advance of planned evening training flights.
“We’ve been doing the monthly newsletter,” Sewrillo said. “If we can explain to people what’s happening, why they’re hearing more aircraft on a given night, they have a better understanding and can plan around that.”
Sewrillo described a problem‑solving sequence that led to funding to reinstall PAPI (precision approach) lights on one runway. After residents reported many flights using a single runway, airport staff reviewed flight tracks, met with the flight school and learned the alternate runway’s PAPI lights had been offline since a hurricane. Sewrillo said the airport obtained FDOT and FAA funding to design and install replacement PAPI lights, which is expected to shift some nighttime training traffic and reduce overflights of particular neighborhoods.
Dumas said the airport will follow its master‑plan consultant’s mid‑project briefing to council before launching public outreach. Sewrillo said outreach will include at least two community meetings timed for season, three technical meetings, and three panel meetings intended to give residents multiple ways to review proposals and ask questions.
The presentation noted other ongoing efforts: monitoring flights via flight tracking tools (used to verify altitude and routing when residents report incidents), coordination with the fixed‑base operator and flight school on scheduling, and mediation of disputes at the Venice Municipal Mobile Home Park.
Sewrillo characterized his role not as defending the airport but as a liaison who listens to residents and pilots, researches reported problems, and then works with operators and regulators to implement solutions. He encouraged residents to contact the airport about suspected unsafe flying and said the airport will refer serious pilot safety matters to the FAA.
