Tampabay: New rules affect TIA users little

The federal government's decision to ease some security restrictions at the nation's airports will have little immediate impact on passengers at Tampa International Airport.

Fewer passengers will be pulled aside for searches at their gates. But for the foreseeable future, airport employees will continue to search vehicles entering the short-term parking levels that sit on top of the Landside terminal building, Louis Miller, executive director of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority said.

A prohibition against parking within 300 feet of a terminal was imposed after last year's terrorist attacks. At TIA, that meant immediate closure of short-term parking and the roping off of the 600 spaces in the long-term garage closest to the terminal building.

A study later showed that the long-term spaces were no threat to the terminal and were put back into service. Vehicles were permitted to return to the short-term garage as well, but only after being searched for explosives.

On Monday, the federal Transportation Security Administration eased the 300-foot rule, but only when the national terrorist threat is at or below the yellow level, the midpoint on a five-point scale. The ban will be reimposed if the terror threat rises to orange or red.

"What the TSA did isn't a waiver of the 300-foot rule," Miller said Tuesday. "It allows some flexibility. But our biggest concern, and it's unanswered at this point, is what happens if we pull those employees off their jobs searching vehicles and the terror threat goes up? We'd have to put them all back on duty. We're going to keep on doing what we have been doing until we get answers. Nothing's going to change in the garage for the foreseeable future."

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