$6M airport terminal project in Venice readies for takeoff

A new $6 million terminal is in the works for Venice Municipal Airport.

The current terminal was built in 1989 and is not up to code, according to a memo from Airport Director Mark Cervasio to the city manager.

Recently, the Venice City Council authorized an application to the Federal Aviation Administration for $950,000 to go toward the new terminal, with funds coming through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Florida Department of Transportation is providing $4.04 million for the project through grant funds, according to Cervasio. The local government will contribute $1.01 million, he says in a document outlining the project costs. At the July 9 Venice City Council meeting, the council gave the OK for the city to ask for federal funding from the FAA.

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The new complex will be constructed southwest of the current building on a vacant site that allows for views of both runways and the airfield. Currently the site has a few pine trees and picnic tables on it.

Once built, the new terminal will span two stories and encompass 4,420 square feet to house conference rooms, a pilots’ lounge, common areas and office space. It will also be designed to withstand a hurricane, according to Cervasio. A new parking facility and access roadway as well as stormwater management infrastructure are part of the plan, too.

The existing terminal building “has reached the end of its useful life” and “does not meet ADA requirements or local building codes,” according to Cervasio.

After requesting the $950,000 from the FAA in July, the city will be notified in August of the grant offer, according to Cervasio, who says a preconstruction conference could take place in January with the project to be closed out by March 2026.

The Venice Municipal Airport, about two miles south of downtown Venice, has two 5,000-foot runways which intersect each other. The airport is operated solely from the airport enterprise fund, which stems from land leases, and does not receive money from the city's general fund, according to the airport's website. 

The airport was built in the early 1940s by the United States government, initially as a flight training facility during World War II. Federal officials, according to a history of the facility in its website, gave the airport to the City of Venice after the war "with the stipulation that if it were not used as an airport it would revert back to the United States government."

Some 200 aircraft are now based at the airport, which handles about 90,000 annual takeoffs and landings. The airport doesn't offer scheduled airline service or large scale cargo service. Its general aviation services include privately owned aircraft; business/corporate aviation; charter operations; flight training; sightseeing; and aircraft repair.