Let's end the myths, confusion on proposed SRQ-New College land deal

Various media reports have covered the proposed land swap and sale agreement between the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority (SMAA) and New College of Florida. Some, including the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, have provided fair and accurate accounts of this issue; others, however, have not.

The issue involves the sale of 30-plus acres of property presently leased by New College from the airport known as the Pei Campus, located immediately southwest of General Spaatz Boulevard. This was part of the former military training base that was deeded by the federal government to the local community in 1947.

During the early 1960s, with the airport already in existence, a group of community leaders started a local college and hence the beginning of more than 100 acres of various classrooms, dormitories, student support and recreational facilities – with the majority of it located west of US 41 and owned by New College.

In 1957, nearly a year before the Federal Aviation Administration was created, a 99-year lease with the airport for a shopping center on 20 acres east of US 41 was created. This lease was assumed by New College in 1964 and an additional 13-plus acres were added in 1966 with the same expiration date of 2056. The added 13-acre lease has a consumer price index rent increase every five years as required by FAA regulation after its creation (and which did not apply to the pre-FAA, 20-acre lease).

Positives and negatives

The agreement has positives and negatives for each party.

The positive for New College is the low rental rate; the negative is that in 30 years it will have no guarantee that the airport would continue to allow the college to lease the land, and certainly not at the present rent.

The negative for the airport is the present lease rate and the exemption from land development regulations on the college land, which could impact the airport's Runway 4 approach).

More: Why the FAA rejected the New College of Florida and Sarasota Bradenton Airport land swap

Given these circumstances, we have attempted to get successive New College presidents to find a remedy benefiting both parties. The parameters of any solution must fit within the regulatory framework of both the FAA and the state of Florida. Some of the FAA requirements include the following:

• The sale price must be at fair market value supported by professional appraisals.

• All sales revenue must be retained by the airport.

• The land cannot be needed for future aeronautical purposes.

During the process leading to the current proposed agreement, both parties fulfilled the obligation to contact licensed appraisers. The final cost to New College is in line with the airport’s certified appraisal, and it is significantly more than New College’s certified appraisal. The airport gets back four acres of land that will meet its future needs, and it will obtain restrictive easements on all college property that provides protection of all aeronautical uses despite state exemptions.

In return, New College gets ownership and certainty for the future.

Addressing the myths, misperceptions

Some media outlets have provided coverage of a former airport employee’s allegation that given both the SMAA and New College boards were appointed by the last two governors, the proposed agreement is “political cronyism” at work.  No evidence was provided outside of the former employee's opinion, but he was labeled a “whistleblower” and “hero” by these media outlets.

The aforementioned allegation was buttressed by the FAA preliminary finding issued in April which declined to release the land for sale to the college. The FAA stated that it appears that "the land leased to New College was converted from aeronautical use to nonaeronautical educational/residential use without FAA consent.” This left the false impression that the FAA had no knowledge of the college, and that the airport had surreptitiously kept this secret for more than 60 years. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are two elements to address.

The first issue to address is the retired airport employee who has been making the allegations of political cronyism and special deals. This individual is part of an organization that wants to change how citizens vote for their representative government. He has publicly criticized the governor and the New College administration in various publications (including the Herald-Tribune).

In addition, the retired employee's motivation should not be overlooked; according to public record emails sent in 2016 – when the individual served as property manager at the airport – he had recommended that the college administration buy all of the leased land from the airport as soon as possible. Meanwhile, airport and FAA records show that he handled the sale of the car museum property from the airport to New College in 2007.

Secondly, all public records provided by the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority to the FAA demonstrate a long history of the FAA’s knowledge of both New College and the lease agreements. These public records include:

• Airport board minutes from the 1960s with FAA leadership in attendance assisting the airport in formulating the lease.

• FAA approval of the assumption of the 1957 lease by New College.

• The approval of the additional 13-acre lease in 1966.

• License agreements for navigational aids on college land directly between the FAA and New College during the 1970s and 1980s.

• Approval of multiple Master Plans submitted by the airport since the 1980s and as recent as 2021, depicting New College on airport property.

In addition, the approval of the sale in 2007 of the car museum property to New College was issued by the same FAA office that authored the findings – and it was handled by the same former Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority employee who now alleges political cronyism.

When allegations of corruption are published in some media outlets without a scintilla of evidence – and based on merely one person’s opinion – the end result is a lack of full and balanced accounting of the circumstances. In addition, such unproven allegations impugn public officials in an unnecessary manner.

It is difficult to have to publicly refute the FAA review as this not the normal product we have come to know during more than 40 years of working with many fine professionals within that agency.

Throughout this process, our only effort has been to get a fair financial return to the airport, ensure the future aeronautical operation and safety of our runway approaches and avoid a contentious political and community issue that could force the closure of a college when celebrating its 100-year anniversary.

All of these goals would be achieved under the proposed agreement.

Rick Piccolo is the CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Busting the myths on proposed SRQ-New College land deal