Albert Whitted Airport

02/01/2025

My interview with ABC Action News WFTS Tampa/St. Pete about the crash at DCA.

Following the deadly plane crash near Washington, D.C., more people may be nervous about flying but local flight instructors said it's still safe to get on a plane.

09/24/2024

When you ask me to FB Friend you and your profile is blank, don’t expect me to acknowledge your request.

07/27/2024

Mayor Welch issued a memorandum to City Council on Friday about his airport studies. Here’s the memo:

Madam Chair and Council Members -

As we have discussed, I have focused on determining the most impactful and equitable use for the Albert Whitted Airport site for some time. My focus and decision-making have been informed by the growth of our city, the evolution of mobility technologies, the increasing clarity of the impact of sea-level rise onpossible development opportunities, and other realities. Therefore, I am directing staff to discontinue the development of a study of non-aviation uses for the airport, and we will realign our work by conducting
an internal study of the airport, and the identification of key strategies to increase equity and the citywide impact of the airport.

This internal study will assess the current economic and social impacts of Albert Whitted, inform our continuing Equity Action Planning process (for all city administrations), and explore innovative aviation-related uses, including disaster recovery, that would benefit St. Petersburg and the region moving
forward.

Thank you for your comments and feedback on this issue. True to our principle of Informed Decision Making, I believe this is the most productive and impactful path forward for this city asset.

Kenneth T. Welch
Mayor

12/02/2023

City's FY 23 budget reconciliation meeting with City Council this week put the Administration on record as budgeting for the Mayor Welch's proposed airport economic studies were quietly put into a placeholder account. They were not clear to the public in the FY23 budgeting discussions that the funds for $300K were in the budget. Now Council has directed the funds be designated to plant trees in FY24. The Airport studies may still be brought forward by the Administration sometime in the future, but officials say the Gas Plant redevelopment (read as new stadium for Tampa Rays) is a higher priority.

A typically procedural meeting to approve year-end budget adjustments ended in debate as St. Petersburg City Council members discovered a $300,000 appropriation for an Albert Whitted Airport Economic Impact Study. Mayor Ken Welch has discussed reevaluating the 100-acre, city-owned waterfront site’...

09/30/2023

On Thursday evening, 09/28/2023, the St. Petersburg City Council accepted the FY24 City Budget and Capital Improvement Budget. The City is planning to accept approximately $1M for FAA and FDOT improvements for the airport. This is a change from Mayor Welch's position in FY23 not to accept any FAA funding. When the grant is received early next year, the City's commitment to maintain the airport as an airport will extend to 2044.
The Airport Advisory Committee made remarks in the Public Comments portion of the meeting that the Committee does not support the expenditure of public monies for any studies on the alternative use(s) of the airport land.

11/04/2022

The Airport Advisory Committee created Friends of Albert Whitted Airport Inc. It is a IRS 501(c)(3) corporation whose purpose is promote the importance of the airport to the community through educational and advocacy support. Their website is www.love4awa.com. Facebook link is https://m.facebook.com/100086532680047/.

10/09/2022

St. Petersburg City Council approved the City’s FY23 Budget on October 6, 2022. The budget contains an amount of $356,122 to fund two airport projects. Despite City Council passing a resolution 7-0 to request Mayor Welch to accept FAA/FDOT grants, he has refused to do so. He is using city taxpayer funds to pay for the projects. The FAA/FDOT were prepared to fund most of the money. Mayor Welch explains he wants a conversation about the future of the airport to determine whether or not that the City is using the property for highest and best use. It is not clear to anyone inside the City government why he wants. Of course, the senior bureaucrats in the Administration use a level 9 fog generator to explain the Mayor’s reasoning. The City is bound by previous FAA Grants to maintain the airport until 2041. The bureaucrats say the Mayor does not want to extend the City’s obligations another year to 2042 while the “conversation” progresses. The Airport Advisory Committee doesn’t buy any of this BS. He made it very clear in a June 25, 2022 meeting with the Advisory Committee that he wants another referendum to remove the City Charter airport protections approved by 75% of the voters in 2003 to keep the airport as a part of the City FOREVER. He wants to close the airport, but the FAA made it very clear as far back as 2002 that any closure action cannot happen before current Grants expire in 2041.

If you want to see what airport supporters had to say at the public hearing, go https://stpete.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=14&clip_id=5774, and fast forward to the 5 hr, 20 min time to watch the meeting. Please watch the City Council discussion after the public hearing closed. The questions asked by Mr. Montanari were very informative. Council Chair Gina Driscoll had some strong words for Mayor Welch.

Live and Recorded Public meetings of City Council for City of St. Petersburg

04/14/2022

For those who follow this page, Mayor Welch has decided to slow walk future FAA Grants pending 2 studies. One is an economic evaluation of the airport’s benefit to the City and the other is an alternative use study. The Airport Advisory Committee has reminded the Administration that the City Charter revised by voter referendum in 2003 that the airport is an airport in the City in perituity. Also current FAA Grants require the City to maintain the airport until 2041. AIP grants are not repayable nor can be canceled. Given these constraints, it is clear to us airport supporters that someone or group wants the property for something else. Tampa Rays baseball stadium, another park, industrial park, but not airport.

If you support the airport, let [email protected] & [email protected] know your thoughts.

08/28/2020

AOPA pays tribute to Ruth Varn.

Ruth Varn, a staunch activist and advocate for general aviation who helped save Florida’s embattled Albert Whitted Airport, died at age 94.

08/25/2020

Ruth Varn’s family advised me that she passed away Sunday night in Newport News where she has been living for the last several years. Ruth celebrated her 94th birthday on Saturday. Funeral plans are still in the planning stage.

On a personal note, Ruth was the reason I got active in airport politics. She was a founding member of the Albert Whitted Airport Advisory Committee and an outspoken supporter for the airport. Although not a pilot, she devoted countless hours to advocating for the airport by giving many speeches to St. Petersburg City Council in support of the airport. Ruth and I share the distinction of being receipents of AOPA’s Laurence P. Sharples Award. That award is given by AOPA periodically to the private individual whose activities had the greatest impact on general aviation. Ruth received the award in 1982 because she lead the effort against the City’s plan for a convention center on the airport property. I received mine in 2004 because of the successful election in 2003 that secured the future of the airport in perpetuity.

Since she retired and moved closer to her children in the Virginia area, we talked on the phone many times to keep her up-to-date on airport progress. Ruth was not a big fan of computers, so email was not her strong suit. I sent her newspaper articles by snail mail to keep her in the know.

She will be missed by all of us.

03/08/2020

Interesting article about the airport.

Airport officials and city leaders are engaged in discussions to improve St. Petersburg, FL-based Albert Whitted Airport (SPG). Headlining those efforts is a proposal to expand the airport's longest runway from its current 3,677-foot length by extending it further into Tampa Bay, as part of a new ma...

10/07/2019

The City of St. Petersburg is having a municipal election next month. Four Council positions are up for a vote. Ed Montanari is the incumbent representing District 3. Mr. Montanari is a long time supporter of Albert Whitted Airport. In addition to City Council duties, he is a professional pilot with American Airlines. He served as Chairman of the Airport Blue Ribbon Committee that studied the airport after the 2003 referendum to recommend improvements. Even though Ed represents District 3, the election of Council is city-wide. If you can vote in the municipal election in November, please consider Ed.