Monroe County raises rental-car fee to fund Key West consolidated facility; airport officials brief commissioners on Silver Airways bankruptcy and Concourse A/​

Monroe County commissioners voted to increase the customer facility charge (CFC) at Key West International Airport from $8 to $9 per rental-car transaction day, effective March 1, 2026, and heard an extended briefing on the recent Silver Airways bankruptcy, airport finances and ongoing capital work at Concourse A and Marathon Airport.

The CFC change was presented as the funding mechanism for a consolidated rental car facility at Key West International Airport. Airport Director Richard Strickland told commissioners the project team revised the original scope and reduced the estimated facility cost by about $20 million from an earlier roughly $74–75 million figure to a lower baseline that officials said better fits current budgets. Commissioners moved to raise the fee to $9 and the motion passed with no recorded opposition.

Strickland explained how the CFC works and how it will back the planned bonds. “Customer facility charge … it is only charged to those people who decide to rent a car. So…