A routine annual Naples Airport Authority budget presentation turned into a grilling by Naples City Council, which questioned the airport’s executive director about issues ranging from moving the airport, increased flights and noise to renegotiating the airport’s $1 yearly lease.

The discussion occurred during the Sept. 4 City Council meeting, after Naples Airport Executive Director Chris Rozansky finished a presentation on the airport’s $39.19 million budget and its continued measures to monitor and reduce aircraft noise over nearby homes.

Councilman Ray Christman cited the unintended consequences for a potential “massive environmental desecration” of 1,000 acres in eastern Collier County if the airport were to be moved, and increased traffic and congestion in the city if the 733-acre Naples Airport was redeveloped commercially and residentially.

He recommended focusing on the NAA’s continued noise mitigation measures and getting help from the federal government; looking closely at the roughly $2 million the airport pays to the city for various services, including fire and police; and possibly increasing the airport’s $1 yearly lease for its property off Airport Road.

“I don’t know when the last time was that we did an updated analysis of what those services are and how they should be measured and monetized,” Christman said, noting wages have increased.

He also suggested reconsidering the $1 yearly land rent, if it’s allowed under federal guidelines.

“Those are three things that I think we ought to be spending time on, rather than trying to do magical thinking about how the airport can be transported to another site in eastern Collier County within our lifetime,” he said.

The NAA hired California-based Environmental Science Associates to conduct an exploratory study after years of noise complaints by airport neighbors and Council’s request to study a possible move. ESA selected four potential eastern Collier County sites, but construction wouldn’t start for eight to 12 years, with completion in 2040 or later. Estimates range from $790 million to $1.6 billion, depending on whether a general aviation or commercial airport is built but those 2024 estimates will likely increase.

Last month, after the NAA asked the Board of County Commissioners to hold a joint workshop with the NAA, commissioners declined. That was reiterated by Commissioner Dan Kowal, whose district covers the city, during an update to Council on various projects.

“From the attitude and the comments that were made in the commission meeting the other day, I believe there was no desire amongst all the commissioners to entertain that,” Kowal said, adding, however, that there may be some interest in relocating two flight schools—RexAir and Naples Air Center—to Immokalee Airport.

Continued takeoffs and landings are a main complaint by some residents. Kowal noted Collier County Mosquito Control, which is located at Naples Airport, backed out of its plans to move to Immokalee Airport after finding the lease wasn’t feasible, so there’s space available.

Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison told Kowal they should think critically about a move because air traffic will increase further. He noted planes fly 100 feet over mid-rises and high-rises at Moorings Park Grande Lake. He also cited the crash on Interstate 75 on Feb. 9, that ended in the deaths of two pilots less than 5 miles from the airport after their engines failed; three others escaped before it burst into flames.

“That wall prevented what would probably have been an even bigger disaster,” Hutchison said of the 20-foot high, 2-foot-thick barrier wall. “Air traffic isn’t going to stay the same. It’s not going to reduce. It’s on a trajectory to be multiples of what it currently is, so please think critically, without a loss of more life, about how the airport is best used and where it’s best used.”

Councilman Bill Kramer noted the airport’s lease won’t expire for 44 years and during that time, aircraft technology will continue to improve, creating quieter planes. He agreed the city should consider renegotiating the lease to help with needed city improvements.

“We need to stop talking about moving the airport,” Kramer said. “What we’re trying to do is kill the airport, end it. It’s not moving the airport, it’s building an entirely new everything elsewhere, if that were possible. So, if that’s what we want to do, let’s just call it what it is.”

But Councilwoman Beth Petrunoff said talking about a move is looking at options, not killing the airport.

“We need to … acknowledge that we are no longer a fishing village in Collier County, and that we are a city and we are a growing population, and where should an airport be located?” she asked, adding that the NAA should maximize safety with flights over the fewest homes and businesses possible, east or north in the county. “So, I would like for (discussions about a move) to continue.”

City Manager Jay Boodheshwar told Council he’s still working on a date to hold a joint workshop with the NAA, possibly in October.