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A medical evacuation helicopter will be based at Inverness Regional Airport, despite concern about the low $1 annual lease for airport space.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 11, 2001
INVERNESS -- Although several officials raised concerns about the fairness of the deal, the County Commission on Tuesday approved a contract allowing an air ambulance to set up at Inverness Regional Airport.
Commissioners agreed that Aeromed 3, a medical evacuation helicopter operated by Tampa General Hospital, will be a lifesaving addition to the airport when it starts service Jan. 15.
Within minutes, the helicopter can be anywhere in the county to take a seriously injured patient to a trauma center for specialized emergency medical care. A medevac in Bushnell is 10 to 15 minutes away, while medevacs in Gainesville and south Pasco County can take up to 25 minutes to arrive in Citrus.
However, commissioners began questioning the terms of the Aeromed contract Tuesday after airport operator Tom Davis said the county was "giving away" scarce airport land to one group while charging higher prices to others.
Davis is president of Crystal Aero Group, which is contracted to run both the Inverness and Crystal River airports for the county. Davis said that under the terms of his agreement with the county, the space that Aeromed would be using is worth $200 a month, yet Aeromed's contract with the county grants a $1 annual lease.
"Why is the county not getting a more reasonable fee for the use of that aviation facility by what is essentially a for-profit corporation, that being Corporate Jets Inc., which is the vendor for Tampa General?" Davis asked.
Corporate Jets, a Pittsburgh-based company, owns the helicopter and provides the pilot for Aeromed, while Tampa General, a not-for-profit hospital, provides the flight nurse and paramedic.
Both Corporate Jets and Tampa General receive their compensation from the fees charged to patients: a $3,200 liftoff fee and $65 per mile, costs usually covered by insurance.
"I want those folks here, just like everybody else does," Davis said, acknowledging the public safety benefit.
"My position is that $200 a month ought to be peanuts to someone who's getting $3,200 for a liftoff," Davis added. "They ought to pay it and move on."
Although present, Aeromed officials did not address the commissioners. Tampa General spokesman John Dunn later declined to comment on Davis' statements.
County Attorney Larry Haag told commissioners that the $1 annual lease amount came from the agreement that Aeromed has with the Sebring Airport Authority for a similar station in Highlands County.
If Citrus charged more than that, interim County Administrator Richard Wesch said, it was his understanding that "in all likelihood we would not be the recipient of a helicopter based at the Inverness Airport, that (Aeromed) would look to other jurisdictions."
In the spirit of fairness to others who pay to use space at the local airports, Commissioner Gary Bartell said, he wished Aeromed would have agreed to pay the going price for leasing land at the Inverness Airport.
But he said because this contract was already negotiated in good faith, and because citizens' lives could be saved by a having a medevac nearby, he would support the deal.
Commissioner Jim Fowler said once the helicopter helps save the life of a car accident victim or an injured child, the price-wrangling over the lease will seem insignificant.
"How much is $200 a month when you consider that point?" he said.
Commissioner Josh Wooten cast the lone vote against the contract, saying he supported Aeromed wholeheartedly but was against the way the lease was handled.
"We're giving up some valuable real estate to a for-profit corporation at the same time we're asking the citizens of Citrus County to step up to the pump and raise their impact fees and raise their utilities fees," Wooten said. "So I can't support it."
Medical helicopter plans delayed (December 23, 2000)
Bayflite starts service for Citrus, Hernando (November 11, 2000)
Aeromed to provide emergency helicopter (September 27, 2000)
County hears Bayflite tout its copter service (September 15, 2000)
County weighs medevac offers (September 10, 2000)
Medevacs make plans to land (August 31, 2000)