The issue here is short-sightedness by the city. There was an article referenced yesterday in Aviation eBrief from the âObserverâ (I will link the article at the end) where a local paper was reporting on this topic. When you get down to it, from the way the local paper has presented things, it is all about the airport running a $1M budget deficit, and they want to use landing fees to help offset that deficit.
This is an example of the local authorities not understanding the value of the airport. Yes, the airport operation may cost the city ~$150k per year more to operate than it brings in with direct revenue. As this has been compounded for 9 years, that debt for the airport is now $999,852.
I guarantee that the airport brings in more than $150k annually in revenue to the city. When someone flies into Ormond Beach airport, they pay business taxes to any business they utilize. If you stay in Volusia County, you pay a Tourist and Convention Development Tax to the county (6%) and a State Sales Tax (6.5%). Everything from a single-family residence, to an office, to a retail store in that town pays an âImpact Feeâ. For example, every retail shop pays $0.432 / sq foot feet fee for Fire, $0.336 / sq foot feet for police, plus a local roads impact fee ($5,593.44 per 1,000 square feet for a restaurant as an example).
The reason I will boycott an airport that assesses fees to general aviation is simple. Non-flying, uninformed, and ignorant citizens believe we are all rich because we fly, and they want to punish us for that. What they donât think about is that when we come to your town, we are going to be spending money, improving your economy. More visitors, more retail shops, more restaurants, more hotels and home rentals - all generating local revenue. I promise, the economic impact to Ormand is significantly greater than $150k per year in expenses to run the airport.
The city should consider modifying their âLocal Roadsâ Impact Fee to include funding the airport. Change the fee from âLocal Roadsâ to âSurface Infrastructureâ. Increase the fee by $2 in each category, and send that money to the airport. Problem solved.
If the city still wants to impose landing fees, they should require all locals to have a tag on their cars, and then charge every non-tagged vehicle entering the city a road-use fee. They could even do it at $0.50 per 1,000 pounds empty weight too, that way heavier transient vehicles pay more than lighter ones. That would be fair, wouldnât it? If the car heads south to Daytona Beach for the day, then returns to Ormond, charge them again, just as you would for a touch-and-go landing.
I have flown into Ormond Beach with my family, stayed a week in town, ate at restaurants all throughout the area, visited locations along the beach, and spent about $3500 during my time there. If Ormond Beach wants to punish me because I am ârichâ in some peopleâs eyes, then I will easily pick another Florida Beach town for my next vacation down that way.
Here is the article I referenced at the beginning. Ormond Beach City Commission tables proposal to add airport landing fees | Observer Local News | Palm Coast Observer and Ormond Beach Observer