St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport names new director

A familiar face is now officially in charge of the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, Pinellas County officials announced Monday. 

Mark Sprague, 61, will now take on the lead role at the county-owned airport. 

He’s been serving as interim director of the airport ever since former director Thomas Jewsbury retired in October. Sprague, who began working for the airport in 2015, previously served as deputy director and has “played a pivotal role” in its growth, according to a release. 

As interim director, Sprague guided strategic planning, oversaw daily and emergency operations and led construction planning for a new terminal building and parking structure, the release says. 

Sprague began his career in aviation 25 years ago as an airline transport pilot for both Comair and Spirit airlines. He later worked in airport operations at both Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. 

“Mark melds diverse work experience in the pilot seat, the boardroom and the community to keep our airport operations safe, efficient and productive, Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton says in the release. “His expertise in operational analytics, emergency response, FAA and TSA compliance and stakeholder engagement positions him to lead PIE into its next phase of growth and service excellence.”

Sprague’s appointment comes on the heels of a ranking by travel website Kayak that named PIE the second-most affordable airport in the nation after Orlando Sanford International Airport. The average round-trip fare costs about $161, the study says. 

Those cheap, non-stop flights are one of the reasons the airport has seen record growth in recent years, with nearly 2.8 million passengers in 2025 and 12 consecutive months of record breaking traffic, officials say. So many travelers are flocking to PIE that Pinellas County is planning to spend $60 million to build a new, four-story parking garage to add an additional 2,000 parking spaces. That lot is expected to open in late 2027. 

Other projects on the horizon include a new taxiway, which could be completed as early as May 2027, and a $110 million terminal improvement project to add more amenities and new jet bridges to the airport’s aging terminals.