By Rich Pollack
For much of the Boca Raton Airport’s almost 75-year history, its 214 acres in the heart of the city have been owned by the state.
That will soon change if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs off on legislation that would transfer ownership of the property to the Boca Raton Airport Authority and put it on a par with just about every other airport in Florida.
Under legislation introduced by state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman that passed both houses of the Legislature unanimously, the airport authority will no longer need to lease the property from the state.
That, say airport authority leaders, could remove a lot of red tape and make it easier for the board to clear administrative hurdles that would require a sign-off from the property owner.
“The state realized it didn’t need to be involved,” said Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach. “It doesn’t want to interfere.”
Until the governor signs the legislation, the airport authority will be handcuffed by a lease with the state that doesn’t end for another 20 years. As it stands now, any action that requires the approval of the property owner must make its way through Tallahassee, which has the potential to gum up the process.
Under the passed legislation, paperwork can be signed off locally.
“With less involvement by the state, the airport authority can conduct business in a more efficient manner,” Gossett-Seidman said.
Only one other airport in Florida is tethered to the state by a lease.
“This legislation will put the airport on equal footing with every other airport in Florida,” said Clara Bennett, executive director of the Boca Raton Airport Authority.
In addition to transferring ownership, the legislation gives the airport authority the opportunity to operate outside of the boundaries of the airport property — but within limits.
The authority now has the green light to continue installing noise monitoring equipment outside of the actual airport boundaries and can continue using buildings it occupies adjacent to the airport.
With the new legislation, the authority can work more closely with neighboring Florida Atlantic University and with the FAU Research and Development Authority on innovative projects.
At the same time, the legislation prevents the airport authority from expanding aviation activity — essentially that involving planes — outside the airport boundaries.
“It was important to modify the initial bill to meet current needs,” Bennett said.
First opened in 1936, the airport was transformed into the Boca Raton Army Airfield during World War II and was where flight crews learned to master a then-new technology, radar.
After the war, the property was transferred to the city of Boca Raton with a requirement that it be used as an airport. Control of the land was transferred to the state in the 1950s.
Over the years, five different government agencies had oversight, with the Boca Raton Airport Authority created by the state Legislature in 1982. The authority’s board of directors is made up of five members appointed by the city and two members appointed by the Palm Beach County Commission.
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