Planning

Pursuant to Section 332.006, FS , the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Aviation Office supports aviation planning efforts through the development of the Florida Aviation System Plan (FASP) and through the review of Airport Master Plans and Airport Layout Plans.  FDOT also participates in and supports the Continuing Florida Aviation System Planning Process (CFASPP), and produces aviation studies and documents such as the Florida Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study, the Guidebook for Airport Master Planning, the Florida Aviation Project Handbook, the Eight Steps to Building a New Airport document, etc.

Florida Aviation System Plan
The latest Florida Aviation System Plan (FASP) was developed in 2018.  The FDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Florida’s public airports, focused the system plan on traditional aviation system planning elements, but also included an analysis of the intermodal aspects of the state transportation system.  The FASP also includes a strategic planning element, identifying seven strategic goals considered essential by a stakeholders group of aviation professionals.

You may contact the Aviation System Manager for additional information.  You may also visit the FDOT FASP website.

Continuing Florida Aviation System Planning Process
The Continuing Florida Aviation System Planning Process (CFASPP) is comprised of nine regional committees and one statewide committee whose members include aviation professionals and other transportation/planning experts from across the State.  Those stakeholders provide the input necessary to keep the FASP as current and modern as possible through continual revisions and updates.  CFASPP also provides an opportunity to continually monitor the aviation environment and determine the development requirements to best meet projected aviation demands.  Through regular meetings, these committees help to provide regional and statewide input critical to the ongoing enhancement of the Florida Aviation System.

You may contact the Aviation System Manager for additional information.  You may also visit the FDOT CFASPP website.

Florida Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study
The Florida Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study was prepared as part of an element of the FASP and has been routinely updated every four to five years.  The study provides an estimated, annual economic impact on the economy of the State of Florida associated with 20 commercial service airports, 110 public-use general aviation airports, and 11 military aviation facilities.  Economic benefits are expressed as direct, indirect, and induced (multiplier) impacts. Direct impacts are those associated with on-airport businesses, airport construction, and airport management. Indirect impacts are those associated with off-airport activity such as Florida visitor spending. Induced impacts are those created when this initial direct and indirect spending recirculates through the Florida economy. The study expresses economic impacts in terms of total economic activity (output), employment, and payroll. The Florida Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study is a crucial document for increasing awareness of the significance of aviation’s role in Florida’s statewide economy.

You may contact the Aviation Planning Administrator for additional information.  The most recent Executive Summary, Technical Report, and the individual Airport Economic Impact Summary Reports are available at the Florida Statewide Aviation Economic Impact webpage.

Guidebook for Airport Master Planning
FDOT developed the Guidebook for Airport Master Planning as an educational and reference tool for airport owners and sponsors, operators, and aviation consultants throughout the state that may be involved in the airport master planning process.  The Guidebook was designed with the intent to help the user understand the development, preparation, and use of airport master planning documents in Florida, to understand the components of an approved plan, and to select the planning tasks and projects that are applicable to the individual airport and situation.  The Guidebook also provides a list of references, including FAA Advisory Circulars and other relevant publications that may be applicable to the master planning process.

You may contact the Aviation Planning Administrator for additional information.  You may also download the Guidebook for Airport Master Planning.

Florida Aviation Project Handbook

Pursuant to Section 332.003 – 332.007, FS , the Florida Aviation Project Handbook was developed for FDOT aviation officials and Florida airport personnel to better understand funding options and resources at the state level. The Handbook was also designed to further the aviation mission of Florida’s public-use airports as it relates to funding aviation projects in Florida. The Handbook provides details on the Florida Aviation Grant Program, the Strategic Intermodal System, and several other possible funding mechanisms. The Handbook does not, however, provide guidance on seeking federal or local funds.

You may contact the Aviation System Manager for additional information, or you may download the Florida Aviation Project Handbook 2022-2023

Eight Steps to Building a New Airport
Because airports provide vital services and can be powerful economic engines for the surrounding communities, new airports are sometimes proposed by communities that lack those elements in reasonable proximity.  To be included in the FASP, and thereby eligible for public funding, an airport must be sponsored by a grant-eligible public agency. A grant-eligible agency is a Florida unit of local government (i.e. a city or a county) or an authority defined in Florida law. In most cases, a new airport proposed for the FASP will be new construction, but a proposed public airport may also be an existing airport to be purchased by or conveyed to an eligible sponsor.  To provide guidance to the sponsors of prospective public airports, FDOT developed the Eight Steps to Building a New Airport document and it is considered the standard process for gaining acceptance into the FASP.  The eight steps detailed in the document are sponsorship by a grant-eligible public agency, conduct a feasibility study, determine qualification for acceptance into FASP and the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), site selection and preliminary environmental planning, facility planning, local government planning, an environmental impact analysis, and airport construction.

You may contact the Aviation System Manager for additional information.  You may also download the Eight Steps to Building a New Airport document.

Florida General Aviation Airport Business Plan Guidebook Overview 
Produced in 2014, the Florida General Aviation Airport Business Plan Guidebook and associated Primer were developed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Aviation Office to serve as a resource for Florida’s general aviation airports to develop business plans. These documents were developed through a cooperative effort with Florida’s general aviation airports, the Florida Airports Council, and other aviation professionals in Florida.

Florida General Aviation Airport Business Plan Guidebook

Primer to the Florida General Aviation Airport Business Plan Guidebook