St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is experiencing growing pains with more people visiting the region.
And, it will soon undergo a $110 million transformation to prepare for even more passengers in the future.
The airport's yearly passenger numbers grew to 2.5 million in 2023.
Airport executive director Tom Jewsbury told a working session of the Pinellas County Commission this past week it has secured funding to complete the expansion.
That would include a terminal expansion and new parking garage.
"When we're done with this, this will give us the ability to handle 3.5 million passengers," Jewsbury said.
Jewsbury said the airport's 64 nonstop flights are a major achievement, especially when combined with the 82 direct flights out of Tampa International Airport.
"So between Tampa and PIE, to offer those amounts of no-stop destinations to our community is certainly something to be very proud of," Jewsbury said.
PIE is the Pinellas airport's international identifier code.
Jewsbury said the airport has an economic impact on the region of more than $3 billion and generates over 20,000 local jobs, according to a 2023 Florida Department of Transportation report.
The terminal project will be done through federal and state grants, without debt. The garage will be paid for with existing funds and parking and concessions revenue.
The airport is also in talks with Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority about including a shuttle service to get passengers to and from areas along the county beaches.
