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Commission approves FAA design grant for airport fuel‑farm expansion; staff warns permitting hurdles remain
Summary
The commission approved a $94,285 FAA grant to design a larger jet‑fuel tank at Okeechobee County Airport and discussed long‑running permitting and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) review issues that have slowed other airport projects.
The Okeechobee County Commission voted unanimously Aug. 14 to accept an FAA Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act grant of $94,285 to pay for design of a fuel‑farm expansion at the county airport.
"This is a design portion of it," Airport Director Chris Georges told commissioners, noting the county will replace an existing tank with a larger one and upgrade valves and related equipment. The grant includes a $3,970 state match and a $992 local match.
Commissioners and airport staff discussed why design funding is sizable for a tank project: it covers electrical upgrades, card‑reader systems and other infrastructure changes as well as the tank itself. Georges said the project would replace the current 10,000‑gallon tank with a 12,000‑gallon unit, and Avcon (the design consultant) will evaluate whether a still‑larger capacity would be warranted.
"We never wanna run out. We haven't yet, but we need a bigger tank," Georges said.
The motion to accept the FAA grant (grant number 3‑12‑0056‑027‑2025) was made by Commissioner Burrows and seconded by Commissioner Goodbread; it passed unanimously.
The commission also spent substantial time on airport permitting and master‑plan matters later in the meeting. Public works and airport staff reported repeated rounds of questions from the South Florida Water Management District and other reviewers that have extended the timeline for airport infrastructure and Commerce Park projects. Commissioners asked staff to escalate outstanding permitting questions to higher agency contacts and requested a clear, written set of remaining steps to achieve final permits.
"It seems to me that we've been spending a lot of time, and we're not getting anywhere," one commissioner said. Staff said they would coordinate with their consultant (Avcon) and seek help from the county administrator to obtain the remaining information SFWMD requires.
Why it matters: The fuel‑farm design grant funds upgrades that airport officials say are needed to support current operations and future growth. However, progress on airport hangar and Commerce Park projects depends on resolving environmental and permitting issues that staff say have generated multiple rounds of additional information requests.
What’s next: Design work funded by the FAA grant is expected this year; construction would be a later phase and require additional funding and permits. Staff will return with a written list of outstanding permitting steps and will seek higher‑level agency engagement to expedite reviews.
