I did not attend the Aug. 13 meeting at which opponents of a rezoning near the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport unexpectedly jammed a county informational meeting, throwing it into chaos.
But I did go to the meeting last Wednesday that was the county's attempt to communicate in a more orderly fashion with residents affected by the airport. I am told by people who attended both meetings that the second one was more civil. People didn't stand on chairs or lead chants.
But if I were the parent of some of those in the audience Wednesday, I would send them to their rooms for bad behavior.
And I'd send some of the attending county officials to a clinic that would use leeches or something to draw the bureaucrat out of them, and then I'd pack them off to a special school to learn to speak English.
Many in the audience Wednesday live in Feather Sound, a neighborhood east of the airport. Between their homes and the airport runways is an old county-owned golf course called Airco. The county wants to close Airco and rezone it to permit construction of a business park there. Residents are worried about losing the green buffer between them and the airport.
Some of those in the audience live north or south of the airport and say that the noise of planes landing and taking off is disrupting their lives. They are particularly upset about an upcoming extension of the main runway that they fear will bring bigger planes, and about a 20-year airport master plan being drafted now.
A lot of these people are upset. Some have channeled their energy into learning everything they can about airport operations and the county's plans and asking good questions of the county. These were the people who were articulate and generally courteous at Wednesday's meeting.
There are others who are placing blame, stirring up their neighbors and attacking county officials. They aren't as interested in learning and understanding as they are in making a show of their pique. Those were the people who, at Wednesday's meeting, catcalled and booed and held signs with dandy slogans like "Just Say NOPE or You're a Dope."
County Administrator Steve Spratt opened the meeting by saying his staff would do a quick, 30-minute presentation about the airport, then spend 90 minutes or more taking questions. Even before the 30 minutes was up, some in the audience were demanding the presentation be stopped so they could say their piece.
One speaker noted that "this is a hair-trigger audience." It was an apt description. Residents accused county officials of lying, dismissing their opinions, sneaking the runway extension through, and pouring tax dollars down a hole. They laughed at the officials, made sarcastic remarks and interrupted when questions were being answered.
"You folks just can't get it right," one declared.
"I wish I had brought a shovel for what I've heard tonight," another said.
"You don't care; you'll make your money and walk away," a third said.
Another speaker accused county officials of wanting to expand the airport "just for the sake of development and your pocketbooks."
One resident - only one - had the courage to get up to support expansion of the airport, but said she could tell no one cared about her opinion. "I'm sorry I came to this meeting tonight," she said.
"We are too!" responded some in the audience.
"Bye-bye!" they called out as she left the room.
Unbelievably, one speaker actually sounded off at county officials for not showing enough respect.
"I see a lot of arrogance and egos in you people," she said. Guess she didn't see the arrogance in the audience that night.
For the most part, county officials just clenched their teeth and took it, with admirable stamina. They wrote down questions and promised to answer them on the county Web site within a few days.
But when they attempted to answer other questions on the spot, they too often fell on their faces. What indecipherable answers! Responses were laden with government or aviation lingo or didn't address the questioner's point. A hostile crowd won't respond well to answers they can't understand.
The public has a host of valid questions the county should answer. For example, what proof does the county have that the airport can succeed so close to Tampa International? Where else has that worked, or failed? Was the environmental assessment for the runway extension incomplete? Is more office park development needed in mid Pinellas? Can something more be done about noise abatement? What would be lost if this airport shut down?
There are so many issues that need clarity. To comment on a few:
Some residents are lumping together separate airport-related issues. The extension of the airport's north-south runway, intended to help attract international charter flights, was planned long ago and land has been purchased to complete the project. The 20-year master plan, a separate issue, has not been approved. It is being drafted by a consulting firm and will go to the Federal Aviation Administration and the state before the County Commission votes on it. A decision on the proposed rezoning of the Airco Golf Course for a business park, an issue separate from the other two, has been postponed.
Residents have accused the county of not telling them about the runway extension - of sneaking it past them. That just didn't happen. Anyone can get the County Commission's meeting dates and review the meeting agendas on the county's Web site, www.pinellascounty.org The county also held advertised community meetings on the runway extension and noise issues. This newspaper has printed stories about the runway extension on a regular basis since early 2000. I ask this of the public: At what point does it become your responsibility to keep up with what is going on in your own county?
Some opponents accuse county officials of wanting to expand the airport to benefit their own pocketbooks. Now, how could that happen? The public, not county commissioners, owns the airport property. The airport operates as an enterprise fund, meaning that the money it makes gets plowed back into operations. If anyone stands to get personal financial benefit from the airport expansion, it is the public, if new jobs or increased tourist trade result.
People who live around the airport now are demanding a referendum on the airport issues. But they want only those in neighborhoods directly affected by the airport and its air traffic to be allowed to vote.
Such a limited referendum, if it could even be arranged, would be unfair. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport is a countywide resource. Whatever decisions county officials make, they are obligated to make sure that the airport serves the interests of all county residents.
