City of Clearwater leaders came together with FlyUSA representatives July 17 to officially break ground on a new Clearwater Executive Airport terminal building.
The two-story facility, at 1000 N. Hercules Avenue, is expected to be completed by August 2027. Clearwater-based private aviation company FlyUSA is the airport’s fixed base operator. A FBO provides services such as fueling, hangaring and aircraft maintenance.
FlyUSA CEO Barry Shevlin told the Catalyst that the current fixed base operator structure, a double wide trailer, was built in 2004 as a “temporary facility.”
He explained that the new terminal will be home to a flight school and feature a flight simulator. Additionally, it will have FBO office space and a pilot lounge. The approximately 18,000-square-feet building will also serve as FlyUSA’s corporate headquarters. A new hangar space is being built as well.
In March, the Clearwater City Council approved an approximately $13.7 million contract with Bandes Construction Company to build the terminal.
“The Clearwater Executive Airport is an important transportation asset that’s going to provide significant economic impact to the community,” said Clearwater city manager Jennifer Poirrier at the July 17 event, “by supporting local businesses, corporate and general aviation, emergency response operations and visitors to our area.”
She added that the project “reflects the City’s continued investment in maintaining safe, efficient and high quality public infrastructure.”
According to the Clearwater government’s website, the complex has an elevation of 71 feet above sea level. As a result, it is the only airport in the county that is not in a flood zone. Once known as the Clearwater Airpark, the property features a 4,108-foot runway. Approximately 125 aircraft are based at the complex.
“The history of this airport goes all the way back to 1934,” explained Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector at the gathering. “The airport opened in April of 1939 and there is a historical element that you can still see around here today.”
“Aviation has changed over those years,” he continued. “We have gotten a lot of value out of this airport. It operated efficiently. But, we haven’t made a lot of improvements to it over the years. So, it is so great that we’re able to do that now.”
According to the Clearwater Executive Airport’s website, the property was initially owned by the Fugazzi family. They began to donate sections of the land to the City in the mid 1930s. When the airport opened, it featured a grass airstrip that covered 185 acres.
In 1954, an agreement between the City and the Clearwater Flying Company, Inc. was initiated. The Clearwater Executive Airport, as it was known at the time, would officially become a city-sanctioned facility.
By the early 1970s, Golf Park, Inc. purchased the property and transformed it into an 18-hole golf course and residential complex. The company even repurposed the hangars into housing units.
The airport was revitalized by the end of the decade. A single paved 62-acre runway was created. In 1980, the City of Clearwater repurchased the property and resumed operations. This is when the facility was renamed the Clearwater Airpark.
In 2022, FlyUSA and Paradise Ventures, a St. Petersburg-based commercial real estate company, submitted a proposal in response to the City’s Request for Proposals (RFP) 38-22. The solicitation sought a private entity to lease, manage and redevelop the Clearwater Executive Airport. FlyUSA PV, LLC, a joint venture between the two companies, began overseeing airport operations in March 2023.
The project is being financed through Florida Department of Transportation aviation grants and City of Clearwater capital funds. Under its operating agreement with the City, FlyUSA PV, LLC is also responsible for reimbursing portions of the local match and covering project cost overruns.
Clearwater Executive Airport website
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