TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Federal Aviation Administration announced how some of the money going to American airports will be split up, with specifics on which airports are expected to see funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Florida will get the third largest portion in the country.
With Thursday’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation, we know now that multiple Tampa Bay airports will receive critical chunks of the infrastructure investment.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, part of President Joe Biden’s efforts to revamp the nations aging physical infrastructure and boost job growth in the United States, promised more than $240 million to Florida’s airports.
Airports in Lakeland, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and Tampa will all see millions of dollars pour in to cover expansions and upgrades.
Tampa International Airport will see $21.7 million, the largest amount coming to a Tampa Bay airport. It’s equal to about 9% of the overall money coming to the state’s 98 airports.
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will get $4.6 million, while St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will get $4.9 million. Lakeland Linder International will get $847,00.
Lakeland’s portion is the smallest amount in the list published by the FAA thursday and the only one under $1 million.
Fort Myers is also getting some love with an $11.4 million investment at Southwest Florida International Airport. Overall, the largest amount to go to any individual airport in Florida is Orlando International Airport, where $44 million is headed.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has given us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build safer and more sustainable airports that connect individuals to jobs and communities to the world,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “With this new funding, urban, regional and rural airports across the country now can get to work on projects that have waited for years, modernizing their infrastructure and building a better America.”
Another 78 reliever and general aviation airports in Florida will also get portions from the infrastructure investment law. A full list and map of the locations is available online. The FAA said the backlog of airport modernization and safety projects could cost as much as $43.6 billion, far more than the $15 billion provided by the infrastructure law for the next five years.
Here’s how the dollars will be doled out across Florida’s bigger airports, according to the FAA.
- Daytona Beach International Airport: $2,909,224
- Eglin Air Force Base/Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in Valparaiso/Destin-Fort Walton Beach: $4,315,247
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport: $32,783,431
- Gainesville Regional Airport: $2,378,103
- Jacksonville International Airport: $9,003,324
- Key West International Airport: $3,690,508
- Lakeland Linder International in Lakeland: $847,399
- Melbourne International Airport: $2,191,163
- Miami International Airport: $42,461,693
- Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City: $3,940,769
- Orlando International Airport: $44,055,710
- Orlando Sanford International Airport: $5,670,156
- Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach: $8,734,292
- Pensacola International Airport: $4,841,447
- Punta Gorda Airport: $4,330,750
- Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport: $4,634,654
- Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers: $11,418,430
- St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport: $4,914,957
- Tallahassee International Airport: $3,208,691
- Tampa International Airport: $21,711,252
