Naples Sues Naples Airport Authority, Says State Law Ending City Control Voids $1-a-Year Airport Lease

The City of Naples has sued the Naples Airport Authority and the Collier County Supervisor of Elections, arguing that a new state law stripping the City Council of its power to appoint the airport's board also voided the cheap, decades-long lease that lets the authority run the airport on city-owned land. The lawsuit, reported by WINK News on Oct. 16, follows months of failed negotiations and mediation over a new lease, and it could reach into the Nov. 3 election, when Collier County voters are set to choose airport commissioners for the first time.

The dispute lands as the airport prepares for its biggest change in decades: American Airlines plans to begin twice-daily nonstop flights between Naples and Charlotte on Dec. 2, bringing scheduled airline service back to the city.

What the city is claiming

The city owns the land under the airport and leases it to the authority for $1 a year through 2068, according to WINK News. Naples argues that the lease was conditioned on the city keeping control over the authority and the airport's operations. Because the new state law takes that control away, the city contends the lease is no longer valid and Naples has been left without any say over its own property.

The suit also names the Collier County Supervisor of Elections because the city is seeking to stop the election process the law created, WINK reported. The council met in a closed executive session in July to discuss litigation strategy over the airport dispute, according to city meeting records, before talks finally collapsed.

Council member Bill Kramer said at an Oct. 7 meeting that the city needs to “monetize the airport,” arguing that under the current arrangement Naples receives nothing for the property, WINK reported.

The 2026 law that changed the board

The fight stems from House Bill 4005, a local bill sponsored by Rep. Adam Botana that the Legislature passed this spring. The House approved it 112-1 on Feb. 11, and the Senate passed it 36-0 on March 11, according to the Florida Senate's bill history. Gov. Ron DeSantis approved it on April 6, the date it took effect, and it became Chapter 2026-189, Laws of Florida.

Before the change, the Naples City Council appointed the members of the airport authority, which was created in 1969 to run the airport. Under the new law, the five-member board is elected at large by voters across Collier County beginning with the 2026 general election. Three seats must be held by residents of the city of Naples and two by county residents who live outside the city, but every seat is chosen countywide. Members must have at least five years of experience in financial management, small business operations or the aerospace industry, according to the House bill analysis. The 2026 terms are staggered, with some seats running two years and others four, before all terms move to four years.

The Naples City Council opposed the bill and sent DeSantis a letter asking him to veto it. Critics argued that because city residents make up a small share of Collier County's population, voters outside the city could decide even the seats reserved for city residents, and that the council would lose its direct oversight of airport property.

How negotiations broke down

Talks on a new lease began after the law took effect in April and stalled, WINK reported. Before suing, the city invoked the conflict-resolution process required under Chapter 164 of the Florida Statutes, which governs disputes between local governments, and the parties then went to mediation. That also ended without an agreement, according to City Attorney Matthew McConnell.

At a joint meeting on Sept. 17, the authority's board unanimously rejected the city's updated lease terms. Authority Chair Terrence Cavanaugh said the board wanted “certainty and predictability” on airport land use and an option to buy the property. City leaders have repeatedly refused to sell.

The election on the ballot

The Nov. 3 vote is the first time Collier County voters will elect any member of the authority. Three seats drew only one qualified candidate each, so Richard Rupert, Michelle Arnold and Ralph Alberto are considered elected, according to candidate filings tracked by local election guides. Two seats remain on the ballot. Seat 4 pits John Goede, a general aviation pilot and aircraft owner, against Rick Mellon, a former chairman of the airport's noise compatibility committee. Five candidates are running for Seat 5: Don Antonacchio, Jason Brooke, David MacGregor, Jason Schappert and Keith West. The races are nonpartisan.

Because the city's lawsuit asks a court to halt the election process, it could affect that vote, WINK reported. With the general election just over two weeks away, any court order would arrive late in the cycle.

Some neighbors welcome the change. Lillie Doria, who lives in the Brookside Waterfront neighborhood near Airport Road, told WINK she supports giving residents a voice in how the airport is run, saying it has grown busier over the past 30 years.

Commercial flights return

The legal fight comes as the authority lands a long-sought airline deal. American Airlines will operate two daily nonstop flights between Naples and Charlotte starting Dec. 2 under a new operating agreement, WINK reported. The flights will use the North Road Terminal, which has been under renovation since 2024, with construction expected to be finished this fall. Earlier industry reports said the flights would be operated by PSA Airlines under the American Eagle brand and would respect the airport's voluntary overnight curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

The service would end a long gap. American Eagle flew between Naples and Miami from 1997 to 2001, and later carriers including US Airways Express, Delta Connection and Elite Airways came and went, the last of them in 2017. Today the airport mainly serves general aviation and private jets, with seasonal scheduled service by JSX.

Residents interviewed by WINK were enthusiastic. Cindy Martin, who lives near the airport, said she “would rather be able to leave from here” than drive to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. Cathy Marx called the new service “absolutely amazing.”

Noise and the airport's future

The airport covers about 732 acres and has long drawn complaints about jet noise from surrounding neighborhoods. After years of complaints, the authority hired consultant Environmental Science Associates to conduct an exploratory study of relocating the airport. The consultant identified four possible sites in eastern Collier County, with construction at least eight to 12 years away and costs estimated at $790 million to $1.6 billion in 2024 dollars, Gulfshore Business reported. Collier County commissioners declined to hold a joint workshop on the idea and opposed two of the sites near Ave Maria, while the authority moved ahead with a narrower second phase focused on financial feasibility.

Those debates explain why control of the board matters so much: whoever controls the authority shapes decisions on noise, growth, commercial service and whether the airport stays on city land at all.

What's next

The authority and the elections office are expected to respond to the city's complaint in court. A judge would have to decide quickly whether to intervene in an election already underway, and any ruling on the lease could take much longer to resolve. If the lease is voided, Naples would regain leverage over land the authority has used for decades, while the authority has signaled it wants a purchase option to secure its future. Meanwhile, American's first Charlotte flight is scheduled for Dec. 2, and voters will fill the last two board seats on Nov. 3 unless a court says otherwise.