Subject:
Title
Project application to the Federal Aviation Administration and delegation of authority to accept Federal Aviation Administration Fiscal Year 2026 Funds - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Airport Infrastructure Grant - St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of a Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 project application to request $4,906,084.00 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Airport Infrastructure Grant program.
• This grant will enable St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) to fund ongoing pre-construction design activities for the passenger terminal improvement project.
• This grant will likely pay for a portion of 80% of the terminal’s eligible spaces since the FAA does not fund all terminal construction. The local share would be the remaining 20% of the FAA-determined non-eligible spaces.
• It is uncertain exactly when the grant agreement will be forwarded to the County for signature by the Chairman and County Attorney. The grant will be electronically mailed to the Chairman for electronic signature and then the County Attorney. PIE will not have a copy of the grant prior to the grant being emailed. It is customary that the FAA provides PIE with no advance notice and only a few days to execute the grant and obligate the funding.
• Because the grant agreement needs to be signed when it is received by the FAA, we request the Board of County Commissioners delegate authority to Chairman Eggers to sign the grant at the point in time when approving this grant application.
• This request is budgeted for in the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget of PIE in the Airport Revenue and Operating Fund (New Passenger Terminal Improvements Project 003343A). In the event that future fiscal year funding is not available for this project, the County maintains the authority to terminate this agreement.
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Strategic Priorities:
Resilient Infrastructure and Environment
1.2 Maintain and enhance County infrastructure
Prosperity and Opportunity
3.5 Foster business growth
Summary:
Summary
The IIJA AIG is a program that provides funding for airport infrastructure beginning in FY22. PIE’s FY23 apportionment is $4,906,084.00. Apportions for FY2022-FY2025 total $19,931,578.00 which will be requested in the next two years. This award would fund the eligible portions of the pre-construction design of the passenger terminal improvement project which includes items such as new passenger boarding bridges, enlarging passenger hold rooms, increasing baggage make-up capacity, and performing renovations on our roof membrane system, sanitary sewer improvements, and restrooms.
As part of the IIJA, the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program provides $14.5B in funding over five years starting in FY2022. This program included up to $2.39B for primary airports such as PIE. These funds can be invested in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport transit connections, and roadway projects.
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Background Information:
This grant award will assist PIE as it embarks on the largest airport project undertaken in our history. There are several funding mechanisms that have been identified to assist PIE in funding this expansion: (1) FAA entitlements; (2) FAA IIJA AIG funds; (3) FAA IIJA Airport Terminal Program (ATP) funds; (4) Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Strategic Airport Investment Grant; (5) FDOT Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) grant; (6) Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs); and (7) Airport Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds.
Fiscal Impact:
This request is budgeted for in the FY26 Budget of PIE in the Airport Revenue and Operating Fund (New Passenger Terminal Improvements Project 003343A). In the event that future fiscal year funding is not available for this project, the County maintains the authority to terminate this agreement.
The history of PIE’s IIJA AIG allocations are as follows:
|
Fiscal Year |
Allocation |
Obligated Funds By |
|
FY2022 |
$4,914,957.00 |
9/30/25 |
|
FY2023 |
$4,906,084.00 |
9/30/26 |
|
FY2024 |
$5,083,744.00 |
9/30/27 |
|
FY2025 |
$5,026,793.00 |
9/30/28 |
|
TOTAL |
$19,931,578.00 |
|
Staff Member Responsible:
Mark E. Sprague, Director, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport
Partners:
Federal Aviation Administration
Attachments:
FY2026 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Airport Infrastructure Grant Application 3-12-0075-057-2026
Intent to Apply Approval from OMB
Electronic mail from Jewel White describing ability to delegate authority for Chairman to sign Grant Agreement upon receipt