Passenger Facility Charge – Public Meeting Notice – October 22, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING:

The Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.

DATE / TIME / LOCATION:

Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., Gainesville Regional Airport Boardroom, located inside the passenger terminal building, 3880 NE 39^th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32609

PURPOSE:

To allow for public comment on the Airport’s submission of a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) application to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Comments must be submitted in writing to the Authority, and received no later than 4 p.m., Friday, November 30, 2026. Comments may be hand-hand delivered or sent via US Mail or other licensed carrier and should be addressed to Lynn Noffsinger, Grants and Contracts Administrator, Gainesville Regional Airport, 3880 NE 39^th Avenue, Suite A, Gainesville, FL, 32609.

Information regarding the PFC application may be obtained by contacting Lynn Noffsinger at lynn.noffsinger@flygainesville.com, please use PFC Application in the “Subject” line. Information can also be found on the Airport’s website, www.flygainesville.com.

Persons with disabilities who require assistance to participate in the meeting are requested to notify the Airport’s Administrative Office at (352) 373-0249 at lease 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC REGARDING PFC

For a Word version of the following information, click here.

The Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority is submitting a formal application to the FAA for collection of Passenger Facility Charges, under a new application, PFC 7.  Passenger Facility Charges are

Approved by the FAA for use on specific projects and usually address the airport’s share of required grant matches, or projects that are grant eligible for which no grant has been issued. This application is a continuation of other PFCs currently in place.

The Airlines also review and comment on projects included in PFC applications. They collect the fee which is $4.50 applied to each airline ticket.  It is considered a user fee and not a tax.  The airport generates 100% of the cost necessary to operate and maintain the airport.  The Airport Authority does not have taxing authority and does not receive any federal, state, county or city tax revenue.

This Notice provides total project costs, PFC amounts, a collection start date, collection length estimates, and project descriptions and justifications for the implementation of PFC 7.

PFC legislation requires the public to be notified of the date, time and location of a public meeting to be held to discuss the projects included in the PFC application. Members of the public have 30 days following the public meeting to offer comments. Comments must be submitted in writing and may be hand delivered or sent via the United States Postal Service, or other licensed carrier. Comments should be enclosed in an envelope and sent to the attention of:

Lynn Noffsinger
Grants and Contracts Administrator
Gainesville Regional Airport
Gainesville, FL.  32609

Comments must be received no later than 4:00 pm, Monday, November 30, 2026.

The PFC consultation meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 22, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. local time, in the Gainesville Regional Airport conference room located in the airport terminal building, 3880 N.E. 39^th Avenue, Gainesville, Florida. The ability to attend the meeting remotely will be made available by contacting Lynn Noffsinger at the email address above. In-person attendance is encouraged.

 PFC 7 APPLICATION

Projects-Description and Justification

1. Rehabilitate Runway 11/29 Design

This project is for design and bid phase professional services only for the rehabilitation and potential strengthening of Runway 11/29. Runway 11/29 is 7,501 ft. long by 150’ wide and currently accommodates daily airline flight operations by Design Group III aircraft and unscheduled charter operations by both DG-III and occasional DG-IV aircraft.  It is the only ILS equipped runway and the only runway capable of supporting scheduled airline and medium-to-large business jet aircraft.  Runway 11/29  was last repaved in 2004. The planned design life of the pavement was twenty years. The Airport must plan for prompt rehabilitation of the existing asphalt pavement. The airport proposes to thicken the pavement section to better accommodate the increasing frequency and weight of aircraft engaged in daily air service and charter operations. The current strategy is to mill of at least one inch of existing asphalt and replace it with up to three inches of P401 asphalt pavement. The exact pavement section for weight bearing will be as recommended in the current Airport Master Plan effort, as accepted by  FAA, and  weighed against constructability. Edge light cans and shoulders will be adjusted to accommodate changes in pavement grades, as needed. Portions of taxiway connectors  within the Runway  Safety Area will also be replaced. These connectors have the lowest PCI of all pavements and will be adjusted to accommodate runway grade changes. Drainage associated with the RSA will also be replaced due to age and deterioration. The current request is to rehabilitate the runway no later than 2027-2028.Prompt rehabilitation is needed to avoid a much more costly and lengthy reconstruction.  Estimated PCI at the time of construction is anticipated to average less than 56.85 and range from “poor” to “fair”. The PCI of the runway connectors will be significantly poorer (FDOT 2022 study pp. 61-62). The airport has only one runway capable of supporting commercial operations and most business jets. It is anticipated that the work will be conducted at night to minimize disruptions to aircraft operations. Closing the runway for an extended period is not considered an option and will create severe economic hardship for the airport, airlines and general aviation tenants.

2. Rehabilitate Runway 11/29 – Construction

This project is for construction and construction phase professional services for the  Rehabilitation and potential strengthening of Runway 11/29. Runway 11/29 is 7,501 ft. long by 150’ wide and currently accommodates daily airline flight operations by Design Group III aircraft and unscheduled charter operations by both DG-III and occasional DG-IV aircraft.  It is the only ILS equipped Runway and the only runway capable of supporting scheduled airline and medium to large business jet aircraft.  Runway 11/29  was last repaved in 2004. The planned design life of the pavement was twenty years. The Airport must plan for prompt rehabilitation of the existing asphalt pavement. The airport proposes to thicken the pavement section to better accommodate the increasing frequency and weight of aircraft engaged in daily air service and charter operations. The current strategy is to mill of at least one inch of existing asphalt and replace it with up to three inches of P401 asphalt pavement. The exact pavement section and weight will be as recommend in the current Airport Master Plan effort as accepted by the FAA weighed against constructability. Edge light cans and shoulders will be adjusted to accommodate changes in pavement grades, as needed. Taxiway connections within the safety area will also be replaced. Drainage associated with the Runway Safety Area will be rehabilitated or replaced. These connectors have the lowest PCI of all pavements and will be adjusted to accommodate runway grade changes. The current request is to rehabilitate the runway no later than 2027-2028.Prompt rehabilitation is needed to avoid a much more costly and lengthy reconstruction.  Estimated PCI at the time of construction is anticipated to average less than 56.85 and range from “poor” to “fair”. The PCI of the runway connectors will be significantly poorer (FDOT 2022 study pp. 61-62). The airport has only one runway capable of supporting commercial operations and most business jets. It is anticipated that the work will be conducted at night to minimize disruptions to aircraft operations. Closing the runway for an extended period is not considered an option and will create severe economic hardship to the airport, airlines and general aviation tenants.

3. Design and Construct New General Aviation Terminal

The project includes design and construction of a new 13,700 s.f. GA Terminal to replace the existing terminal building on the same site.  The original building will be demolished.  The existing GA Terminal was constructed in 1955. It is too old and too small to merit another renovation and needs to be replaced. In addition, the existing building was built above a major drainage pipe serving Taxiway A. The pipe has deteriorated and must be replaced and preferably relocated. Existing sanitary sewer infrastructure must also be replaced. The proposed building services larger regional jets, turboprops and some DG-III commercial charters as well as business jets and smaller GA aircraft. It will include public waiting lounge spaces, transient pilots lounge, flight planning area, vending, conference room and FBO line service and customer service operations, etc. Only public spaces will be eligible for AIP and PFC participation.

4. Replace Inbound Baggage Carousels

This project involves the procurement and installation of equipment necessary to replace the inbound baggage carousel currently serving the passenger terminal. The airport has two existing inbound baggage carousels (1 & 2) in the commercial terminal building.  Bag carousel #1 was original to the commercial terminal, which was constructed in 1977-78. The baggage carousel was severely damaged in 2005, due to fire from a GA aircraft striking the terminal building. Parts of it were replaced at that time.  Bag carousel #2 was installed in1996. Both units are in need of a complete overhaul as plate rollers and bearings, electro-mechanical controls, automatic security doors and operators are worn out. The existing inbound baggage carousel will be replaced, new drive systems, control systems, emergency stop systems, sensors and conveyor equipment installed and associated terminal infrastructure will be replaced. This project does not change the existing terminal footprint.

5. Exit Lane Breach System

This project is for the procurement and Installation of an automated Exit Lane Breach Control System, (ELBC), to mitigate the risk of unauthorized access into the sterile area. Currently the exit lanes rely on visual monitoring and traditional infrastructure which introduces a risk of human error or deliberate breach attempts.  An undetected breach requires a complete evacuation of the terminal concourse, rescreening of all passengers through the TSA checkpoint, and immediate grounding of departing aircraft. The project includes installing interlocking automated doors, high resolution sensors, and advanced audio analytics to detect and prevent reverse flow pedestrian traffic. Integrating alarms and direct notification feeds to Airport Operations and law enforcement.  This system requires minor structural and electrical modifications to the existing exit lane and does not change the footprint of the existing terminal space.

   PFC 7 COST BREAKDOWN

Total PFCs to be collected under PFC application number 7 equals $4,074,670 dollars, with collections to start on February 1, 2027.  The PFC expiration date for this application, based on the current average rate of collection, is estimated to be April 30, 2031, or approximately 51 months from the start of collection.