 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Pilot hackles raised over hangar rents
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK © St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2001 BROOKSVILLE -- Plane owners who rent hangars at the Hernando County Airport are upset. The county Aviation Authority raised rent from $170 to $225 a month, and the renters think the action is unfair. The authority did not adequately notify the public that rates might rise, a spokesman for the group told county commissioners Tuesday, and the company that operates the hangars doesn't maintain them appropriately for the cost. "We are here to appeal to you," Craig Woloshyn, a Brooksville veterinarian, told commissioners. The commissioners responded swiftly. Expressing concerns that the renters were not involved in the rent increases, they instructed County Administrator Paul McIntosh to have the Aviation Authority's April 12 action brought to them for review. That's well within their purview, McIntosh said. The ordinance establishing the authority makes all its decisions subject to the commission's approval, although commission action is not required, he said. The commission simply invoked its right of review, McIntosh said. He fired a letter off to Airport Manager Robert Mattingly telling him to stop the new rates pending a rehearing of the matter. Airport officials suggested the commission's move might be premature, and said the authority probably will be upheld once the county has all the facts. "We didn't raise the rents without a great deal of discussion and investigation," said Gary Schraut, a 10-year authority member. "We hadn't done anything in six years. They're raising a stink because they were getting a good deal. I think we're still too low." The item "T-hangar rents" appeared on the authority's April 12 agenda, noted John Petrick, owner of American Aviation, who operates the hangars for the authority. Increases had been discussed for more than a year, he said, and the public had plenty of notice about the meeting. The new monthly rate includes a county-mandated $8.48 for fire-rescue service and $10 for future capital improvements, Petrick said. The other $207 represents the average rent for hangars in the area, he said. Annualized over the six years that no changes occurred, the increase equals about 4 percent annually, he said. "We got it up where it should be." Woloshyn, supported by about a dozen other renters, disagreed. The hangars have stood in disrepair for years, he said, while American Aviation rakes in money for operating them and the Aviation Authority does nothing to control the private firm. "We have some problems with the idea that a private company is profiting so well from county property and essentially doing so little for it," he said. "Aviation Authority meetings are open . . . but their decisions seem to be weighted toward American Aviation." The renters plan to organize to fight the authority, Woloshyn said, and will keep the pressure on the County Commission. Commissioner Betty Whitehouse started getting complaints about the rent change about three weeks ago. She said she thought Mattingly had cleared up the issue, until the renters showed up en masse on Tuesday. The authority's action, based on incomplete notice that did not say anything about rent increases, seems inappropriate, Whitehouse said. She expected the administration to follow up. Schraut said he hoped the commissioners would listen to facts, rather than rush to judgment. The airport belongs to the public, after all, he said, and the rental rates should do justice to the community. "Those hangars are not there solely to provide a cheap place for people to store their airplanes," Schraut said. Still, he added, "I work under the good graces of the County Commission, and obviously, they can do whatever they want." Airport hangar ratesThe Hernando County Aviation Authority recently raised the rent for private plane owners who use hangars at the county airport. Renters have cried foul, and said the rates are above market value. Here's how the rates compare with other area airports. Monthly rental rateAirportfor a T-hangar Hernando County $225 (proposed) Crystal River $115 (not enclosed) Sebring Regional $107-$182 Clearwater Airpark $298-$380 Ocala Regional $180-$240 Zephyrhills Municipal $175
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
