Key West Airport Rumors Debunked!

BY MAGGIE KLEIN

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Although you might have heard otherwise, the beloved Key West Airport is actually not being expanded. There has been much misinformation regarding the airport’s renovation, which is scheduled to begin soon, and expected to be completed by October, 2024. Richard Strickland, the director of Monroe County Airports, was able to clarify the misconception about the upcoming upgrade, and spell out explicitly what he had submitted to the City Council. 

The work to be done is called airport mitigation, not an airport expansion. Strickland explains that the proposal is to buy land from the City Council. This will enable them to implement an airfield geometry safety improvement, which is a bypass taxiway, that will ultimately grant more space for traffic, and less space for accidents. In addition to this, with the community in mind, Strickland is also adding a soccer field to the location. After discussing these additions with various city commissioners, Strickland proposed that they move the building and tower out of Higgs Beach Park, to further open up the park to the community.

After laying out the facts, Strickland went on to say, “That is the sum total of the story. There is nothing else to it, and, quite frankly, I think that it is a win for the city because they get paid some money, it’s a win for the airport because we get to do some mitigation work with salt marsh, and it’s a win for the community because they get a brand new soccer field.” This truly seems like a win for everybody involved! Strickland also addressed the misinformation that is being spread, “I’ve heard a lot of strange things out there, like we’re adding a second runway which is absolutely false, and I’ve also heard that we’re adding two thousand feet in airway length which also isn’t true. All of these different things going around are incorrect, and I like to just deal with the factual relationship that was presented to the City Council.” 

So, you heard it here, folks! Stop the rumors! Stick to the facts! And enjoy that soccer field!

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