Fri, Feb 12, 2010
City Of Avon Park, Florida Aircraft Services Need "Solid Paper
Trail"
Following complaints of favoritism
by another airport tennant, the FAA looked into allegations that
the city of Avon Park, Florida offered a lease arrangement to
Florida Aircraft Services that it had not extended to other FBOs at
Executive Airport (KAVO).
The allegations were been raised by Samuel E. Poole of Poole
Industries, which is based at the Avon Park airport. He says the
airport management agreement with Florida Aircraft Services
"appears to convey an exclusive right because other qualified
tenants were not solicited to bid on the management agreement."
Poole says the arrangement keeps the airport from being "self
sustaining" because it offers free rent to the company, and that it
is "discriminatory" in requiring Poole industries to "remove
equipment from outside their hangar."
The Sebring, Florida News Sun reports that the FAA looked into
the overall arrangement and dismissed Poole's allegation about
economic discrimination. The agency did, however, tell the city to
re-structure the agreement with Florida Aviation Services to assure
a solid paper trail for the exchange of rent forgiveness for
services. "They did not have a problem with Florida Aircraft
Services providing services, but they wanted to see an arm's-length
agreement where we have a lease, and that they (Florida Aircraft
Services) guarantee to provide certain services," Airport Manager
C.B. Shirey told the Avon Park City Council. "Their concern was
what we were forgoing is rent was less than the services
provided."
Richard McKenzie of Frostproof, FL, who owns Florida Aviation
Services, says his company has provided as much as $70,000 in
services and labor, far more than the city would have charged for
rent at the airport.
The Council has directed Shirey to develop a lease that meets
the FAA requirements.
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