Airports, Etc.

A bit of chatter lately surrounds Tampa International Airport’s international flare – or lack thereof, maybe. Mitch Perry provides a good post about the status of international flights at TIA and the relatively turbulent discussion that opened the dialogue again. There are certainly some unresolved questions after all the flap: Are there not enough international flights to TIA because of a lack of demand? Are other airports (New Orleans, etc.) really beating them to the punch? Or, are we here becuase it’s how we’ve always done things? I’d certainly like not be believe the latter, but it’s an interesting question for the region. Of course, TIA will likely always have difficulty marketing itself over the megaphone that the tourist destination of Orlando enjoys. But that’s okay…if a barrier at all, it’s certainly not a new one and there are plenty of smart folks who could (and should) turn any such barrier into an asset.

Leading Florida economists tell us that with the weakened dollar and Florida’s increased profile as an international exporter, the climate seems ripe for more internationalism. So why not Tampa Bay? No doubt it sounds as if the approach used by authority members for opening the discussion may have missed the mark. But, disregarding that, it seems that the economic restructuring we’re experiencing might offer an appropriate time for the authority to re-open the books, have the discussion and redouble it’s efforts toward international travel.

On the local level, the whole discussion of the airport intrigues me. I have long thought that the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is Lakeland’s most under-utilized asset. But the airport is a “tweener”. See, much of Lakeland’s economic development success is a credit to our location between the economic centers of Tampa and Orlando, who each boast first rate commercial airport facilities. Company exec’s tell us all the time how important it is that employees and management alike can benefit from the convenience offered by these two transportation hubs. So, where does that leave us?

I recently attended a seminar by economist Hank Fishkind here in Lakeland. Dr. Fishkind briefly mentioned the ability of a large, commercial airport to transform a community, as is happening right now in Panama City. Jim Studiale, Lakeland’s Community Development Directly correctly pointed out that Lakeland is simply very unlikely to rely on heavy commercial air traffic because of the two major airports east and west. I’ve long believed that a more intese focus on attracting commuter air traffic is the right answer for Lakeland and is the direction the new Airport administration should pursue.

But this whole discussion brings it home for me. If Polk isn’t going to be a player in commercial air traffic, It seems to me that we need to reach out and see how we can play ball with the communities east and west who have it and see how we can help move people throughout the region (and in and out of Polk?). The bottom line is this: if commercial air traffic isn’t in Polk’s future, what’s the next best thing? I’d say it’s a wide array of safe, efficient and reliable regional transportation to and from the hubs. And I think an expanded commuter air presence, a broader toll-road network, reliable commuter rail/mass transit and efficient high-speed rail connections are the answer. We should strongly pursue them all, whenever we can. Strategic infrastructure investments are the proper role of government and hopefully our community can realize that the region deserves a more diverse transportation portfolio.

Finally, while this is a topic of a future column, it’s worth mentioning here. It’s a shame that the current high speed rail proposal, which I ardently support, wouldn’t connect to the Tampa Airport as it does to Orlando’s airport–it should. But that shouldn’t preclude our support of the project – there are unique geographical challenges in Tampa that leaders are working to overcome. More info about Florida’s High Speed Rail Proposal at www.fasrailconnectus.com ..and expect more from me to come on this topic…

photo credit: vad_levin