The St. Johns County Airport Authority oversees the Northeast Florida Regional Airport (UST), managing its operations, leasing, safety compliance, and capital improvements. 4 year term; not salaried.
Campaign Phone
9044493206
After being appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis at one of the most turbulent times in the history of the Saint John’s County Airport Authority Board I feel a strong calling to run in November and finish some of the great work that the current board has embarked on. We have made great strides in the last 10 months…we have restructured the general aviation t hanger policy, approved the east side corporate hanger construction which will make a huge economic impact on the airport as well as the community. And finally we have put an executive director of the airport in place who will guide the airport and its partners into the future.
I spent 41 years in the military flying helicopters and airplanes. I was a standardization instructor pilot, aviation and ground safety officer. I have over 13,000 hours in the air and have flown in every environment possible. These skills give me the knowledge and experience needed to make decisions that directly affect a dynamic operating environment like the Saint Augustine Airport. Along with my military background my second career as a Saint John’s County reserve deputy sheriff for 24 years and later a full time commander of the sheriff’s air, marine, traffic and beach patrol units also contribute to my knowledge base on balancing budgets, and being fiscally responsible especially when dealing with taxpayer money.
The first pressing issue I see has always been that this board remain transparent on all the dealings pertaining to the users of this airport and to the citizens of Saint John’s County. With the history of the previous board we still have a trust issue to overcome, but I think as we move forward we are making great strides and starting to earn the trust that was not present with the previous board. The second pressing issue is we remain accountable in our decision making…and we are of always acutely cognizant of our fiscal responsibilities with taxpayer money.
I think the board is doing a great job at growth opportunities. We are currently expanding the east side of the airport to build more corporate hangers which will increase our revenues which in turn allow us to build new infrastructure to accommodate more takeoffs and landings per year, and also build more T hangers for the General Aviation community. We are investigating opportunities to utilize the terminal building that was used for commercial flights. This building has not been used for aviation purposes for over 5 years. Utilization of this building would be a tremendous growth opportunity for the airport.
Campaign Phone
7187551487
After hearing that 3 out of 5 Board Members resigned rather then face prosecution for alleged Sunshine Law violations, and a 4th later resigned due to a conflict of interest, I believe someone with no stake in the Airport could prove this Board with a fresh perspective.
I served as a Criminal Court Judge in New York City for 10 years. Before that, I served as both an Assistant District Attorney and Defense Counsel. I also served as the Chief Prosecutor for the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota.
I bring a legal perspective that this Board appears to have lacked in the past.
Fuel costs for private pilots are exorbitant, yet this is not due to increasing fuel prices. Instead, it is a lack of fuel delivery methods that has driven the price "sky high."
Competition among fuel providers must be encouraged.
There are also too many restrictions placed on the use of hangers by private pilots, hangers which have not been assigned on an equitable basis in recent history. This has discouraged all but those who knew how to navigate the Byzantine rules from using this Airport.
As a Board Member, I will be uniquely positioned to examine and reform this disparity.
The Airport has extensive real estate holdings in the area, yet much of it remains underdeveloped. This has kept this Airport underutilized. There are those who wish to keep the Airport small and exclusive. But such desires do not serve the community at large.
A carefully managed plan for growth is necessary, one that will advance the interests of both private pilots and the public at large.
