Tuesday, May 13, 2008

I am writing you today on a matter of extreme urgency. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has notified Monroe County that they are not going to support the County’s effort to bring air service to the Florida Keys Marathon Airport (MTH). For more than a year, the citizens of Monroe County have been working extremely hard to return air service to the Middle Keys. A feasibility study was conducted. Monroe County applied for and received a $750,000 Small Community Air Service Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The local community raised more than $300,000 in matching funds for the grant. The City of Marathon has donated $200,000 of in kind services by supplying the Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) function. The Tourist Development Council has pledged $600,000 over the course of three years to provide advertising of the new air service. And the Florida Department of Transportation will supplement airport security with a grant for $550,000. Our region was very severely impacted by four hurricanes last year. The last and most catastrophic was Wilma in October of 2005 that flooded the middle and lower keys with six feet of storm surge. Our economic impact study completed last year, states that air service into the Florida Keys Marathon Airport will provide $43.7 million in annual revenue to the Florida Keys. These funds are now desperately needed to hasten our recovery and provide sustained economic stability. Please do all that is in your power to intervene on our behalf to convince the TSA to reverse their disastrous decision. If further information is needed, please contact our Director of Airports, Mr. Peter Horton at (305) 292-3518 or on his cell phone (305) 304-0063. His email address is: horton-peter@monroecounty-fl.gov.

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