AIRPORTS AND OTHER AIR NAVIGATION FACILITIES

F.S. Ch. 332

in effect

F.S. 332.01 Airport law; definitions.

The following words, terms, and phrases shall in ss. 332.01-332.12 have the meanings herein given, unless otherwise specifically defined, or unless another intention clearly appears, or the context otherwise requires: (1) “Municipality” means any county, city, village, or town of this state. (2) “Airport purposes” means and includes airport, restricted landing area, and other air navigation facility purposes. (3) “Airport” means any area, of land or water, except a restricted landing area, which is designed for the landing and takeoff of aircraft, whether or not facilities are provided for the shelter, servicing, or repair of aircraft, or for receiving and discharging passengers or cargo, and all appurtenant areas used or suitable for access to airport facilities, airport buildings, or other airport facilities, and all appurtenant rights-of-way, whether heretofore or hereafter established. (4) “Air navigation facility” means any facility used in, available for use in, or designed for use in, aid of air navigation, including airports, restricted landing areas, and any structures, mechanisms, lights, beacons, marks, communicating systems, or other instrumentalities or devices used or useful as an aid, or constituting an advantage or convenience, to the safe taking off, navigation, and landing of aircraft, or the safe and efficient operation or maintenance of an airport, or restricted landing area, and any combination of any or all of such facilities. (5) “Air navigation” means the operation or navigation of aircraft in the airspace over this state, or upon any airport or restricted landing area within this state. (6) “Person” means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association, joint-stock association, or body politic; and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or other similar representative thereof.

F.S. 332.001 Aviation; powers and duties of the Department of Transportation.

(1) It shall be the duty, function, and responsibility of the Department of Transportation to plan airport systems in this state. In carrying out this duty and responsibility, the department may assist and advise, cooperate, and coordinate with the federal, state, local, or private organizations and individuals in planning such systems of airports. (2) It shall be the duty, function, and responsibility of the Department of Transportation to promote the further development and improvement of air routes, airport facilities, and landing fields and protect their approaches and to stimulate the development of aviation commerce and air facilities. In carrying out this duty and responsibility, the department may advise and cooperate with municipalities, counties, regional authorities, state agencies, appropriate federal agencies, and interested private individuals and groups.

F.S. 332.02 Acquisition of real property for airports.

(1) Every municipality is hereby authorized through its governing body, to acquire property, real or personal, for the purpose of establishing, constructing, and enlarging airports and other air navigation facilities and to acquire, establish, construct, enlarge, improve, maintain, equip, operate, and regulate such airports and other air navigation facilities and structures and other property incidental to their operation, either within or without the territorial limits of such municipality and within or without this state; to make, prior to any such acquisition, investigations, surveys, and plans; to construct, install, and maintain airport facilities for the servicing of aircraft and for the comfort and accommodation of air travelers; and to purchase and sell equipment and supplies as an incident to the operation of its airport properties. It may not, however, acquire or take over any airport or other air navigation facility owned or controlled by any other municipality of the state without the consent of such municipality. It may use for airport purposes any available property that is now or may at any time hereafter be owned or controlled by it. Such air navigation facilities as are established on airports shall be supplementary to and coordinated in design and operation with those established and operated by the federal and state governments. (2) Property needed by a municipality for an airport or restricted landing area, or for the enlargement of either, or for other airport purposes, may be acquired by purchase, gift, devise, lease, or other means if such municipality is able to agree with the owners of said property on the terms of such acquisition, and otherwise by condemnation in the manner provided by the law under which such municipality is authorized to acquire like property for public purposes, full power to exercise the right of eminent domain for such purposes being hereby granted every municipality both within and without its territorial limits, as specified in and including all the powers, rights, and privileges of chapters 73 and 74. If but one municipality is involved and the charter of such municipality prescribes a method of acquiring property by condemnation, proceedings shall be had pursuant to the provisions of such charter and may be followed as to property within or without its territorial limits. Any title to real property so acquired shall be in fee simple, absolute and unqualified in any way, or any lesser interest therein. For the purpose of making surveys and examinations relative to any condemnation proceedings, it shall be lawful to enter upon any land, doing no unnecessary damage. Notwithstanding the provisions of this or any other statute or the provisions of any charter, the municipality may take possession of any such property so to be acquired at any time after the filing of the petition describing the same in condemnation proceedings, as provided in chapter 74. It shall not be precluded from abandoning the condemnation of any such property in any case where possession thereof has not been taken. (3) In the event any exercise of power under ss. 332.01-332.12 by a municipality requires the removal, relocation, or reconstruction of any structure located in, on, under, or across any private property, public street or highway, or other public or private places, then such municipality shall reimburse the owner of such structure for the estimated or actual expense of said removal, relocation, or reconstruction prior to the incurring of such expense by such owner.

F.S. 332.003 Florida Airport Development and Accountability Act; short title.

Sections 332.003-332.007 may be cited as the “Florida Airport Development and Accountability Act.”

F.S. 332.03 Establishment of airports, etc., declared public power.

The acquisition of any lands for the purpose of establishing airports or other air navigation facilities; the acquisition of airport protection privileges; the acquisition, establishment, construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment, and operation of airports and other air navigation facilities; and the exercise of any other powers herein granted to municipalities are hereby declared to be public, governmental, and municipal functions, exercised for a public purpose, and matters of public necessity; and such lands and other property, easements, and privileges acquired and used by such municipalities in the manner and for the purposes enumerated in ss. 332.01-332.12 shall be and are hereby declared to be acquired and used for public, governmental, and municipal purposes and as a matter of public necessity.

F.S. 332.004 Definitions of terms used in ss. 332.003-332.007.

As used in ss. 332.003-332.007, the term: (1) “Airport” means any area of land or water, or any manmade object or facility located therein, which is used, or intended for public use, for the landing and takeoff of aircraft, and any appurtenant areas which are used, or intended for public use, for airport buildings or other airport facilities or rights-of-way. (2) “Airport hazard” means any structure or object of natural growth located on or in the vicinity of a public-use airport, or any use of land near such airport, which obstructs or causes an obstruction to the airspace required for the flight of aircraft in landing or taking off at such airport or is otherwise hazardous to landing or taking off at such airport. (3) “Airport master planning” means the development, for planning purposes, of information and guidance to determine the extent, type, and nature of development needed at a specific airport. (4) “Airport or aviation development project” or “development project” means any activity associated with the design, construction, purchase, improvement, or repair of a public-use airport or portion thereof, including, but not limited to: the purchase of equipment; the acquisition of land, including land required as a condition of a federal, state, or local permit or agreement for environmental mitigation; off-airport noise mitigation projects; the removal, lowering, relocation, marking, and lighting of airport hazards; the installation of navigation aids used by aircraft in landing at or taking off from a public-use airport; the installation of safety equipment required by rule or regulation for certification of the airport under s. 612 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, and amendments thereto; and the improvement of access to the airport by road or rail system which is on airport property and which is consistent, to the maximum extent feasible, with the approved local government comprehensive plan of the units of local government in which the airport is located. (5) “Airport or aviation discretionary capacity improvement projects” or “discretionary capacity improvement projects” means capacity improvements which are consistent, to the maximum extent feasible, with the approved local government comprehensive plans of the units of local government in which the public-use airport is located, and which enhance intercontinental capacity at airports which: (a) Are international airports with United States Bureau of Customs and Border Protection; (b) Had one or more regularly scheduled intercontinental flights during the previous calendar year or have an agreement in writing for installation of one or more regularly scheduled intercontinental flights upon the commitment of funds for stipulated airport capital improvements; and (c) Have available or planned public ground transportation between the airport and other major transportation facilities. (6) “Aviation system planning” means the development of comprehensive aviation plans designed to achieve and facilitate the establishment of a statewide, integrated aviation system in order to meet the current and future aviation needs of this state. (7) “Eligible agency” means a political subdivision of the state or an authority, or a public-private partnership through a lease or an agreement under s. 255.065 with a political subdivision of the state or an authority, which owns or seeks to develop a public-use airport. (8) “Federal aid” means funds made available from the Federal Government for the accomplishment of public-use airport or aviation development projects. (9) “Florida airport system” means all existing public-use airports that are owned and operated within the state and those public-use airports which will be developed and made operational in the future. (10) “Landing area” means that area used or intended to be used for the landing, takeoff, or surface maneuvering of an aircraft. (11) “Planning agency” means any agency authorized by the laws of the state or by a political subdivision to engage in area planning for the areas in which assistance under this act is contemplated. (12) “Project” means a project for the accomplishment of airport or aviation development or airport master planning. (13) “Project cost” means any cost involved in accomplishing a project. (14) “Public-use airport” means any publicly owned airport which is used or to be used for public purposes. (15) “Sponsor” means any eligible agency which, either individually or jointly with one or more eligible agencies, submits to the department an application for financial assistance for an airport development project in accordance with this act.

F.S. 332.005 Restrictions on authority of Department of Transportation.

(1) This act specifically prohibits the Department of Transportation from regulating commercial air carriers operating within the state pursuant to federal authority and regulations; from participating in or exercising control in the management and operation of a sponsor’s airport, except when officially requested by the sponsor; or from expanding the design or operational capability of the department in the area of airport and aviation consultants’ contract work, other than to provide technical assistance as requested. (2)(a) Notwithstanding subsection (1), upon the declaration of a state of emergency issued by the Governor in preparation for or in response to a natural disaster, airports shall, at no cost to the state, provide the Department of Transportation with the opportunity to use any property that is not subject to an existing lease agreement with a third party and that is not within the air navigation facility as defined in s. 332.01(4) for the staging of equipment and personnel to support emergency preparedness and response operations. (b) After 60 days of use under paragraph (a), any further use of airport property by the Department of Transportation must be conducted pursuant to a written agreement between the airport and the department.

F.S. 332.06 Preliminary costs and expenses.

(1) The cost of investigation, surveying, planning, acquiring, establishing, constructing, enlarging, or improving or equipping airports and other air navigation facilities, and the sites therefor, including structures and other property incidental to their operation, in accordance with the provisions of ss. 332.01-332.12, may be paid for by appropriation of moneys available therefor, or wholly or partly from the proceeds of bonds of the municipality, as the governing body of the municipality shall determine. (2) The word “cost” includes awards in condemnation proceedings and rentals where an acquisition is by lease, and also includes amounts paid to utility companies for relocation of their wires, poles, and other facilities. (3) Any bonds to be issued by any municipality pursuant to the provisions of ss. 332.01-332.12 shall be authorized and issued in the manner and within the limitation, except as herein otherwise provided, prescribed by the laws of this state or the charter of the municipality for the issuance and authorization of bonds thereof for public purposes generally; provided, however, that any bonds issued by any municipality under authority of this chapter shall be self-liquidating bonds and shall not be a lien against the general taxing powers of the municipality.

F.S. 332.006 Duties and responsibilities of the Department of Transportation.

The Department of Transportation shall, within the resources provided to the department: (1) Provide coordination and assistance for the development of a viable aviation system in this state. To support the system, a statewide aviation system plan shall be developed and periodically updated which summarizes 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year airport and aviation needs within the state. The statewide aviation system plan shall be consistent with the goals of the Florida Transportation Plan developed pursuant to s. 339.155. The statewide aviation system plan shall not preempt local airport master plans adopted in compliance with federal and state requirements. (2) Advise and assist the Governor in all aviation matters. (3) Upon request, assist airport sponsors, both financially and technically, in airport master planning. (4) Upon request, provide financial and technical assistance to public agencies that own public-use airports by making department personnel and department-owned facilities and equipment available on a cost-reimbursement basis to such agencies for special needs of limited duration. The requirement relating to reimbursement of personnel costs may be waived by the department in those cases in which the assistance provided by its personnel was of a limited nature or duration. (5) Participate in research and development programs relating to airports. (6) Administer department participation in the program of aviation and airport grants as provided for in ss. 332.003-332.007. (7) Develop, promote, and distribute supporting information and educational services, including, but not limited to, educational services with a focus on retention and growth of the aviation industry workforce. (8) Encourage the maximum allocation of federal funds to local public-use airport projects in this state. (9) Support the development of land located within the boundaries of airports for the purpose of industrial or other uses compatible with airport operations with the objective of assisting airports in this state to become fiscally self-supporting. Such assistance may include providing state moneys on a matching basis to airport sponsors for capital improvements, including, but not limited to, fixed-base operation facilities, parking areas, industrial park utility systems, and road and rail transportation systems which are on airport property.

F.S. 332.007 Administration and financing of aviation and airport programs and projects; state plan.

(1) Federal funding of individual local airport projects shall continue to be wholly between the local airport sponsors and the appropriate federal agencies; however, the Department of Transportation is authorized to receive federal grants for statewide projects when no local sponsor is available. (2)(a) The Department of Transportation shall prepare and continuously update an aviation and airport work program in accordance with subsections (6) and (7) based on a collection of the local sponsors’ proposed projects to be included in the work program of the department developed pursuant to s. 339.135. The airport work program shall separately identify development projects and discretionary capacity improvement projects. (b) The aviation and airport work program shall be consistent with the statewide aviation system plan and, to the maximum extent feasible, consistent with approved local government comprehensive plans. Projects involving funds administered by the department to be undertaken and implemented by the airport sponsor shall be included in the aviation and airport work program. (c) Each commercial service airport as defined in s. 332.0075 shall establish and maintain a comprehensive airport infrastructure program to ensure the ongoing preservation of airport infrastructure and facilities in safe and serviceable condition. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “airport infrastructure” means the facilities, systems, and structural components of an airport necessary for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Beginning November 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, each commercial service airport shall provide a certification to the department, in a manner prescribed by the department, that it has established and maintains a comprehensive airport infrastructure program. The comprehensive airport infrastructure program report, and related documents and records, must be open to inspection by the department and maintained by the airport for at least 5 years. The comprehensive airport infrastructure program must, at a minimum, include all of the following: 1. Identification of airport infrastructure subject to inspection and the schedule for the completion of such inspections, taking into consideration the age, type, intended use, and criticality of the infrastructure to undisrupted commercial or cargo operations. 2. A preventative maintenance program for routine maintenance of airport infrastructure, for both commercial and cargo operations. 3. A plan to complete any necessary repairs to, or rehabilitation or reconstruction of, airport infrastructure, including prioritization and anticipated timeframe for completion of the work. 4. A progress report of inspections and their outcomes, preventative maintenance, and previously identified repair to, or rehabilitation or reconstruction of, airport infrastructure. The progress report must include any changes in timeline for completion, changes in cost estimates, and reasons any inspection, preventative maintenance, or repair or rehabilitation did not take place. (3) Assistance pursuant to the provisions of this section shall only be provided for projects which are included in the department’s adopted work program developed pursuant to s. 339.135. (4)(a) The annual legislative budget request for aviation and airport development projects shall be based on the funding required for development projects in the aviation and airport work program. The department shall provide priority funding in support of the planning, design, and construction of proposed projects by local sponsors of public-use airports, with special emphasis on projects for runways and taxiways, including the painting and marking of runways and taxiways, lighting, other related airside activities, and airport access transportation facility projects on airport property. (b) Projects which provide for construction of an automatic weather observation station are eligible for the use of funds provided for herein. (c) No single airport shall secure airport or aviation development project funds in excess of 25 percent of the total airport or aviation development project funds available in any given budget year. However, any public-use airport which receives discretionary capacity improvement project funds in a given fiscal year shall not receive greater than 10 percent of total aviation and airport development project funds appropriated in that fiscal year. (d) Unless prohibited by the appropriations act or general legislation, the department may transfer funds for an airport and aviation development project to other airport and aviation development projects to maximize the aviation services or federal aid available to this state. (5) Only those projects or programs provided for in this act that will contribute to the implementation of the state aviation system plan, that are consistent with and will contribute to the implementation of any airport master plan or layout plan, and that are consistent, to the maximum extent feasible, with the approved local government comprehensive plans of the units of government in which the airport is located are eligible for the expenditure of state funds in accordance with fund participation rates and priorities established herein. (6) Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, the department may participate in the capital cost of eligible public-use airport and aviation development projects in accordance with the following rates, unless otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill implementing the General Appropriations Act: (a) The department may fund up to 50 percent of the portion of eligible project costs which are not funded by the Federal Government, except that the department may initially fund up to 75 percent of the cost of land acquisition for a new airport or for the expansion of an existing airport which is owned by a municipality, a county, or an authority, and shall be reimbursed to the normal statutory project share when federal funds become available or within 10 years after the date of acquisition, whichever is earlier. Due to federal budgeting constraints, the department may also initially fund the federal portion of eligible project costs subject to: 1. The department receiving adequate assurance from the Federal Government or local sponsor that this amount will be reimbursed to the department; and 2. The department having adequate funds in the work program to fund the project. Such projects must be contained in the Federal Government’s Airport Capital Improvement Program, and the Federal Government must fund, or have funded, the first year of the project. (b) The department may retroactively reimburse cities, counties, or airport authorities up to 50 percent of the nonfederal share for land acquisition when such land is needed for airport safety, expansion, tall structure control, clear zone protection, or noise impact reduction. No land purchased prior to July 1, 1990, or purchased prior to executing the required department agreements shall be eligible for reimbursement. (c) When federal funds are not available, the department may fund up to 80 percent of master planning and eligible aviation development projects at public-use airports. If federal funds are available, the department may fund up to 80 percent of the nonfederal share of such projects. Such funding is limited to general aviation airports, or commercial service airports that have fewer than 100,000 passenger boardings per year as determined by the Federal Aviation Administration. (d) The department is authorized to fund up to 100 percent of the cost of an eligible project that is statewide in scope or that involves more than one county where no other governmental entity or appropriate jurisdiction exists. (7) Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, the department may participate in the capital cost of eligible public airport and aviation discretionary capacity improvement projects. The annual legislative budget request shall be based on the funding required for discretionary capacity improvement projects in the aviation and airport work program. (a) The department shall provide priority funding in support of: 1. Terminal and parking expansion projects that increase capacity at airports providing commercial service in counties with a population of 500,000 or less. 2. Land acquisition which provides additional capacity at the qualifying international airport or at that airport’s supplemental air carrier airport. 3. Runway and taxiway projects that add capacity or are necessary to accommodate technological changes in the aviation industry. 4. Public-use airport access transportation projects that improve direct airport access and are approved by the airport sponsor. 5. International terminal projects that increase international gate capacity. 6. Projects that improve safety and efficiency of airport operations. 7. Emerging technology projects, workforce development projects, and projects that benefit the strategic intermodal system through intermodal connectivity. (b) No single airport shall secure discretionary capacity improvement project funds in excess of 50 percent of the total discretionary capacity improvement project funds available in any given budget year. (c) Unless prohibited by the General Appropriations Act or by law, the department may transfer funds within each category of the airport and aviation discretionary capacity improvement program to maximize the aviation services or federal aid available to this state. (d) The department may fund up to 50 percent of the portion of eligible project costs which are not funded by the Federal Government except that the department may initially fund up to 75 percent of the cost of land acquisition for a new public-use airport or for the expansion of an existing public-use airport which is owned by a municipality, a county, or an authority, and shall be reimbursed to the normal statutory project share when federal funds become available or within 10 years after the date of acquisition, whichever is earlier. (8) The department may also fund eligible projects performed by not-for-profit organizations that represent a majority of public airports in this state and postsecondary education institutions as defined in s. 1008.47 that support the training of pilots, air traffic control personnel, or aircraft maintenance technical personnel. Eligible projects may include activities associated with aviation master planning, professional education, safety and security planning, enhancing economic development and efficiency at airports in this state, or other planning efforts to improve the viability and safety of public-use airports in this state. Programs that support the transition of honorably discharged military personnel to the aviation industry are also eligible projects under this subsection. The department may provide matching funds for eligible projects funded by the Department of Commerce. (9) The department may fund strategic airport investment projects at up to 100 percent of the project’s cost if: (a) Important access and on-airport capacity improvements are provided; (b) Capital improvements that strategically position the state to maximize opportunities in tourism, international trade, logistics, and the aviation industry are provided; (c) Goals of an integrated intermodal transportation system for the state are achieved; and (d) Feasibility and availability of matching funds through federal, local, or private partners are demonstrated. (10) Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, and unless otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill implementing the General Appropriations Act, the department may fund up to 100 percent of eligible project costs of all of the following at a public-use airport located in a rural community as defined in s. 288.0656 which does not have any scheduled commercial service: (a) The capital cost of runway and taxiway projects that add capacity. Such projects must be prioritized based on the amount of available nonstate matching funds. (b) Economic development transportation projects pursuant to s. 339.2821. Any remaining funds must be allocated for projects specified in subsection (6). (11) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a municipality, a county, or an authority that owns a public-use airport may participate in the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Investment Partnership Program under federal law by contracting with a private partner to operate the airport under lease or agreement. Subject to the availability of appropriated funds from aviation fuel tax revenues, the department may provide for improvements under this section to a municipality, a county, or an authority that has a private partner under the Airport Investment Partnership Program for the capital cost of a discretionary improvement project at a public-use airport.

F.S. 332.07 Appropriations.

The governing bodies having power to appropriate moneys within the municipalities in this state acquiring, establishing, constructing, enlarging, improving, maintaining, equipping, or operating airports and other air navigation facilities under the provisions of ss. 332.01-332.12 are hereby authorized to appropriate and cause to be raised by taxation or otherwise in such municipalities moneys sufficient to carry out therein the provisions of ss. 332.01-332.12.

F.S. 332.08 Additional powers.

(1) In addition to the general powers in ss. 332.01-332.12 conferred and without limitation thereof, a municipality that has established or may hereafter establish airports, restricted landing areas, or other air navigation facilities, or that has acquired or set apart or may hereafter acquire or set apart real property for such purposes, is authorized: (a) To vest authority for the construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment, operation, and regulation thereof in an officer, a board or body of such municipality by ordinance or resolution which shall prescribe the powers and duties of such officer, board or body. The expense of such construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment, operation, and regulation shall be a responsibility of the municipality. (b) To adopt and amend all needful rules, regulations, and ordinances for the management, government, and use of any properties under its control, whether within or without the territorial limits of the municipality; to appoint airport guards or police, with full police powers; to fix by ordinance or resolution, as may be appropriate, penalties for the violation of such rules, regulations, and ordinances, and enforce such penalties in the same manner in which penalties prescribed by other rules, regulations, and ordinances of the municipality are enforced. (c) To lease for a term not exceeding 50 years such airports or other air navigation facilities, or real property acquired or set apart for airport purposes, to private parties, any municipal or state government or the national government, or any department of either thereof, for operation; to lease or assign for a term not exceeding 50 years to private parties, any municipal or state government or the national government, or any department of either thereof, for operation or use consistent with the purposes of ss. 332.01-332.12, space, area, improvements, or equipment on such airports; to sell any part of such airports, other air navigation facilities, or real property to any municipal or state government, or the United States or any department or instrumentality thereof, for aeronautical purposes or purposes incidental thereto, and to confer the privileges of concessions of supplying upon its airports goods, commodities, things, services, and facilities; provided, that in each case in so doing the public is not deprived of its rightful equal and uniform use thereof. (d) To sell or lease any property, real or personal, acquired for airport purposes and belonging to the municipality, which, in the judgment of its governing body, may not be required for aeronautic purposes, in accordance with the laws of this state, or the provisions of the charter of the municipality, governing the sale or leasing of similar municipally owned property. (e) To exercise all powers necessarily incidental to the exercise of the general and special powers herein granted, and is specifically authorized to assess and shall assess against and collect from the owner or operator of each and every airplane using such airports a sufficient fee or service charge to cover the cost of the service furnished airplanes using such airports, including the liquidation of bonds or other indebtedness for construction and improvements. (2) If a county operates one or more airports, its regulations for the governance thereof shall be by resolution of the board of county commissioners, recorded in the minutes of the board, and promulgated by posting a copy at the courthouse and at every such airport for 4 consecutive weeks or by publication once a week in a newspaper published in the county for the same period. Such regulations shall be enforced in the same manner as the criminal laws. Violation thereof is a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a municipality participating in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Privatization Pilot Program pursuant to 49 U.S.C. s. 47134 may lease or sell an airport or other air navigation facility or real property, together with improvements and equipment, acquired or set apart for airport purposes to a private party under such terms and conditions as negotiated by the municipality. If state funds were provided to the municipality pursuant to s. 332.007, the municipality must obtain approval of the agreement from the Department of Transportation, which 1 is authorized to approve the agreement if it determines that the state’s investment has been adequately considered and protected consistent with the applicable conditions specified in 49 U.S.C. s. 47134.

F.S. 332.009 Limitation on operation of chapter.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit the department’s authority under s. 331.360.

F.S. 332.09 Federal funds and aid.

A municipality is authorized to accept, receive, and receipt for federal moneys, and other moneys, either public or private, for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment, or operation of airports and other air navigation facilities, and sites therefor, and to comply with the provisions of the laws of the United States and any rules and regulations made thereunder for the expenditure of federal moneys upon such airports and other air navigation facilities.

F.S. 332.11 Cooperation of authorities.

It shall be lawful for and full power and authority is hereby conferred upon municipalities in any area of the state to cooperate in the exercise of the powers and authorities conferred upon municipalities under the provisions of ss. 332.01-332.12, and such municipalities shall share in such exercise of power and authority equally or upon such other terms as may be mutually agreed upon between said municipalities.

F.S. 332.12 Airport Law of 1945; short title.

Sections 332.01-332.12 may be cited as the “Airport Law of 1945.”

F.S. 332.13 Multicounty airport authorities created as independent special districts; noise-mitigation-project fund.

Any multicounty airport authority created as an independent special district which is subject to a development-of-regional-impact development order and which has conducted a noise study in accordance with 14 C.F.R. part 150 shall, in fiscal year 2002, establish a noise-mitigation-project fund in an amount of $7.5 million, which shall be increased by another $2.5 million in fiscal year 2004. The moneys in the project fund shall be segregated and expended by the airport authority by December 31, 2006, to the extent necessary to comply with development order commitments to acquire property from or otherwise mitigate property owners adversely affected by the development of regional impact. If moneys are not expended for such purposes by December 31, 2006, the airport authority shall not thereafter amend its development-of-regional-impact development order or commence development of airport infrastructure improvements authorized by such development order until such funds are fully expended for such purposes.

F.S. 332.15 Advanced air mobility.

The Department of Transportation shall: (1) Address the need for vertiports, advanced air mobility, and other advances in aviation technology in the statewide aviation system plan required under s. 332.006(1) and, as appropriate, in the department’s work program. (2) Designate a subject matter expert on advanced air mobility within the department to serve as a resource for local jurisdictions navigating advances in aviation technology. (3) Conduct a review of airport hazard zone regulations. (4) In coordination with the Department of Commerce, provide coordination and assistance for the development of a viable advanced air mobility system plan in this state. The department shall incorporate the plan into the statewide aviation system plan required under s. 332.006(1) to identify and develop statewide corridors of need and opportunities for industry growth.

F.S. 332.0075 Commercial service airports; transparency and accountability; penalty.

(1) As used in this section, the term: (a) “Commercial service airport” means an airport providing commercial service, including large, medium, small, and nonhub airports as classified by the Federal Aviation Administration. (b) “Consent agenda” means an agenda which consists of items voted on collectively or as a group and which does not provide the opportunity for public comment on each such item before approval or disapproval by the governing body. (c) “Department” means the Department of Transportation. (d) “Governing body” means the governing body of the county, municipality, or special district that operates a commercial service airport. The term also includes an appointed board or oversight entity serving as the governing body for purposes of a commercial service airport on behalf of a county, municipality, or special district. (2) Each governing body shall establish and maintain a website to post information relating to the operation of a commercial service airport. The information must remain posted on the website for 5 years or for the entirety of the period during which the document is actively in use, whichever is longer, and must include all of the following: (a) All published notices of meetings and published meeting agendas of the governing body. (b) The official minutes of each meeting of the governing body, which must be posted within 7 business days after the date of the meeting in which the minutes were approved. (c) The approved budget for the commercial service airport for the current fiscal year, which shall be posted within 7 business days after the date of adoption. Budgets must remain on the website for 5 years after the conclusion of the fiscal year for which they were adopted. (d) Copies of the current airport master plan and the immediately preceding airport master plan for the commercial service airport and a link to the current airport master plan on the commercial service airport’s website. (e) A link to all financial and statistical reports for the commercial service airport on the Federal Aviation Administration’s website. (f) Any contract or contract amendment for the purchase of commodities or contractual services executed by or on behalf of the commercial service airport in excess of the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for CATEGORY FIVE, which must be posted no later than 7 business days after the commercial service airport executes the contract or contract amendment. However, a contract or contract amendment may not reveal information made confidential or exempt by law. Each commercial service airport must redact confidential or exempt information from each contract or contract amendment before posting a copy on its website. (g) Position and rate information for each employee of the commercial service airport, including, at a minimum, the employee’s position title, position description, and annual or hourly salary. This information must be updated quarterly. (3)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, commercial service airports shall use competitive solicitation processes consistent with the requirements of s. 287.057 for purchases of commodities or contractual services which exceed the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for CATEGORY FIVE. If the purchase of commodities or contractual services exceeds the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for CATEGORY FIVE, the purchase of commodities or contractual services may not be made without receiving competitive sealed bids, competitive sealed proposals, or competitive sealed replies unless an exception consistent with an exception provided in s. 287.057(3) applies or an immediate danger to the public health, safety, or welfare or other substantial loss to the commercial service airport requires emergency action. (b)1. A governing body must approve, award, or ratify any contract for commodities or contractual services executed by or on behalf of a commercial service airport as a separate line item on the agenda and must provide a reasonable opportunity for public comment if such contract is executed by or on behalf of a commercial service airport that is classified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a: a. Small hub airport and the contract amount exceeds $500,000. b. Medium hub airport and the contract amount exceeds $1 million. c. Large hub airport and the contract amount exceeds $1.5 million. 2. A contract that exceeds the amounts specified in subparagraph 1. may not be approved, awarded, or ratified as part of a consent agenda. (4)(a) Members of a governing body and employees of a commercial service airport are subject to part III of chapter 112. However, this paragraph does not prohibit the application of more stringent ethical standards adopted by county or municipal charter, ordinance, or resolution of the governing body for its members and employees. (b) Beginning January 1, 2021, each member of a governing body must complete 4 hours of ethics training each calendar year which addresses, at a minimum, s. 8, Art. II of the State Constitution, the Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees, and the public records and public meetings laws of this state. This requirement may be satisfied by completion of a continuing legal education class or other continuing professional education class, seminar, or presentation if the required subject material is covered therein. Constitutional officers and elected municipal officers who are members of the governing body who complete the ethics training required in s. 112.3142 shall be considered in compliance with this paragraph. (5)(a) Each November 1, the governing body of each commercial service airport shall submit the following information to the department: 1. Its approved budget for the current fiscal year. 2. Any financial reports submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration during the previous calendar year. 3. A link to its website. 4. A statement, verified as provided in s. 92.525, that it has complied with part III of chapter 112, chapter 287, and this section. 5. The most recent copies of its strategic plans. 6. Contracts related to any financial awards received through federally funded grant programs for the preceding year. (b) The department shall review the information submitted by the governing body of the commercial service airport and posted on the airport’s website to determine the accuracy of such information. Each January 15, the department shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report summarizing commercial service airport compliance with this section. (c) A commercial service airport shall: 1. Notify the department within 48 hours after receiving a communication or directive from a federal agency relating to public health testing or the transfer of unauthorized aliens into this state. 2. Notify the department as soon as is reasonably possible, but no later than 48 hours, after the discovery of a potential cybersecurity breach or other occurrence impacting the traveling public, a disruption in state aviation operations directly impacting multiple airports within this state, or an incident occurring on airport property which requires coordination with multiple local, state, or federal agencies. (6) The department may not expend any funds allocated to a commercial service airport as contained in the adopted work program, unless pledged for debt service, until the commercial service airport demonstrates its compliance with this section.

F.S. 332.115 Joint project agreement with port district for transportation corridor between airport and port facility.

(1) An eligible agency may acquire, construct, and operate all equipment, appurtenances, and land necessary to establish, maintain, and operate, or to license others to establish, maintain, operate, or use, a transportation corridor connecting an airport operated by such eligible agency with a port facility, which corridor must be acquired, constructed, and used for the transportation of persons between the airport and the port facility, for the transportation of cargo, and for the location and operation of lines for the transmission of water, electricity, communications, information, petroleum products, products of a public utility (including new technologies of a public utility nature), and materials. However, any such corridor may be established and operated only pursuant to a joint project agreement between an eligible agency as defined in s. 332.004 and a port district as defined in s. 315.02, and such agreement must be approved by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Commerce. Before the Department of Transportation approves the joint project agreement, that department must review the public purpose and necessity for the corridor pursuant to s. 337.273(5) and must also determine that the proposed corridor is consistent with the Florida Transportation Plan. Before the Department of Commerce approves the joint project agreement, that department must determine that the proposed corridor is consistent with the applicable local government comprehensive plans. An affected local government may provide its comments regarding the consistency of the proposed corridor with its comprehensive plan to the Department of Commerce. (2) Prior to developing a new corridor, the eligible agency, in determining the most feasible corridor, shall give first consideration to existing and available corridors in the public domain. (3) A transportation corridor established pursuant to this section shall not be considered an aviation project for purposes of state funding, but shall be considered an aviation project for all other purposes.

F.S. 332.136 Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority; airport pilot program.

(1) There is established at the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority an airport pilot program. The purpose of the pilot program is to determine the long-term feasibility of alternative airport permitting procedures, such as those provided in ss. 553.80, 1013.30, 1013.33, and 1013.371. (2) The department shall adopt rules as necessary to implement the pilot program. (3) By December 1, 2027, the department shall submit recommendations to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives about how to expand the pilot program to additional airports, amend the pilot program to increase its effectiveness, or terminate the pilot program. (4) This section shall stand repealed on June 30, 2028, unless reviewed and saved from appeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

Source: FL Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/Chapter332/AllFetched: 7/8/2026