New law will make Naples Airport Authority an elected board starting this November

NAPLES, Fla. —

A new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis yesterday will shift the Naples Airport Authority from an appointed board to an elected one, giving voters across Collier County a direct say in who oversees the airport.

Right now, members of the board are appointed by Naples city leaders. Under the new law, all five seats will be on the ballot come November.

State Rep. Adam Botana helped push the bill, saying the goal is to give that power to voters.

“We said, all right, we're going to leave it to the people,” Botana said.

Supporters of the change say it’s about accountability, following concerns over who has been appointed to the board in the past.

Jose Cabrera, a board member with Responsible Government Naples and director of operations at Naples Jet Center, said some past appointments raised concerns.

“When you have an appointment from a city council of two people that are loudly and adamantly anti-airport appointed to serve the same entity they oppose … there's something wrong,” Cabrera said.

The law also comes after controversy surrounding a split vote by the board that prevented the airport from moving forward with applying for millions of dollars in federal funding.

“If this board turned down $7 or $8 million or whatever dollars it was, you know, that just doesn't make sense to me,” Botana said.

Under the new system, three board members must live within the city of Naples, while two must live in Collier County outside city limits. However, all five members will be elected by voters countywide.

All five seats will be up for election at the same time this November, effectively resetting the board. After that, terms will be staggered as they expire.

Candidates will need experience in areas such as business, financial management, or aerospace to run.

Supporters say the change gives the public a stronger voice in decisions about the airport’s future.

“Now everybody's involved in the process. Now we all have a voice, we all have a vote. And that matters,” Cabrera said.

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