(1) In addition to the general powers in ss. 332.01-332.12 conferred and without limitation thereof, a municipality that has established or may hereafter establish airports, restricted landing areas, or other air navigation facilities, or that has acquired or set apart or may hereafter acquire or set apart real property for such purposes, is authorized:

(a) To vest authority for the construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment, operation, and regulation thereof in an officer, a board or body of such municipality by ordinance or resolution which shall prescribe the powers and duties of such officer, board or body. The expense of such construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment, operation, and regulation shall be a responsibility of the municipality.

(b) To adopt and amend all needful rules, regulations, and ordinances for the management, government, and use of any properties under its control, whether within or without the territorial limits of the municipality; to appoint airport guards or police, with full police powers; to fix by ordinance or resolution, as may be appropriate, penalties for the violation of such rules, regulations, and ordinances, and enforce such penalties in the same manner in which penalties prescribed by other rules, regulations, and ordinances of the municipality are enforced.

(c) To lease for a term not exceeding 50 years such airports or other air navigation facilities, or real property acquired or set apart for airport purposes, to private parties, any municipal or state government or the national government, or any department of either thereof, for operation; to lease or assign for a term not exceeding 50 years to private parties, any municipal or state government or the national government, or any department of either thereof, for operation or use consistent with the purposes of ss. 332.01-332.12, space, area, improvements, or equipment on such airports; to sell any part of such airports, other air navigation facilities, or real property to any municipal or state government, or the United States or any department or instrumentality thereof, for aeronautical purposes or purposes incidental thereto, and to confer the privileges of concessions of supplying upon its airports goods, commodities, things, services, and facilities; provided, that in each case in so doing the public is not deprived of its rightful equal and uniform use thereof.

(d) To sell or lease any property, real or personal, acquired for airport purposes and belonging to the municipality, which, in the judgment of its governing body, may not be required for aeronautic purposes, in accordance with the laws of this state, or the provisions of the charter of the municipality, governing the sale or leasing of similar municipally owned property.

(e) To exercise all powers necessarily incidental to the exercise of the general and special powers herein granted, and is specifically authorized to assess and shall assess against and collect from the owner or operator of each and every airplane using such airports a sufficient fee or service charge to cover the cost of the service furnished airplanes using such airports, including the liquidation of bonds or other indebtedness for construction and improvements.

(2) If a county operates one or more airports, its regulations for the governance thereof shall be by resolution of the board of county commissioners, recorded in the minutes of the board, and promulgated by posting a copy at the courthouse and at every such airport for 4 consecutive weeks or by publication once a week in a newspaper published in the county for the same period. Such regulations shall be enforced in the same manner as the criminal laws. Violation thereof is a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a municipality participating in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Privatization Pilot Program pursuant to 49 U.S.C. s. 47134 may lease or sell an airport or other air navigation facility or real property, together with improvements and equipment, acquired or set apart for airport purposes to a private party under such terms and conditions as negotiated by the municipality. If state funds were provided to the municipality pursuant to s. 332.007, the municipality must obtain approval of the agreement from the Department of Transportation, which 1is authorized to approve the agreement if it determines that the state’s investment has been adequately considered and protected consistent with the applicable conditions specified in 49 U.S.C. s. 47134.

History.—s. 8, ch. 22846, 1945; s. 1, ch. 28164, 1953; s. 231, ch. 71-136; s. 20, ch. 2012-32; s. 21, ch. 2012-174; s. 20, ch. 2016-239.

1Note.—As amended by s. 21, ch. 2012-174. The amendment by s. 20, ch. 2012-32, used the word “may” instead of the words “is authorized to.”