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The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport is on the verge of announcing a major jackpot after four years of cajoling, selling and enticing: It's tantalizingly close to signing a deal with a German airline to provide two non-stop flights a week from Frankfurt, Germany to Sarasota, Coffee Talk has learned.
The flights, on 767s, would bring in 270 passengers per trip or up to 30,000 people a year, says airport director Rick Piccolo. That's manna from heaven for tourism and economic development officials starved for a recession breakthrough.
“We think we are very close to being successful on this,” Piccolo says of the potential deal with Condor Airlines. “This would be a very significant step for us.”
Only now the step could thwarted by — who else? — government bureaucrats.
That's because the airport could be on the hook for more than $1 million in costs and fees connected with hiring a team of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. It's a cost Piccolo never saw coming.
“There's no way we can afford that,” Piccolo tells Coffee Talk. “It makes no sense.”
The airport, known locally by its SRQ call letters, currently pays $175,000 a year to essentially borrow customs officers from Tampa International Airport when the need arises; the airport currently doesn't have any regular nonstop international flights. The costs go to salaries, benefits and general fees.
But under new federal guidelines, SRQ would be forced to hire seven new customs officers if the deal with Condor is finalized. The annual cost would be about $1.2 million — for what would amount to about eight hours of work a week.
Piccolo says he will fight the government on the cost issue. In doing so, he says he has one advantage: time. The deal with Condor could be announced later this month, but flights wouldn't start until 2011.
That gives Piccolo time to plead his case to government officials. He has already met with Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and he plans to meet with other politicians.
Piccolo, a longtime airport executive, is prepared to battle on to victory with a surprisingly realistic take.
“There's a certain level of frustration,” he says, “but being somewhat of a government bureaucrat myself, I understand what's happening.”
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