Aviation Community Rallies To Save Florida Airport From Closure

An adjacent airpark could be left with no airport.

Monday, September 05, 2022 at 04:58 AM ET

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Residents of Tarpine Airpark, just south of Panacea, Florida, live adjacent to Wakulla County Airport (2J0), which may be closed soon. [Image: Wakulla County]

Key Takeaways:

Wakulla County Airport (2J0) is slated for closure by the Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners on September 19, threatening "through-the-fence" runway access for 47 homes in the adjacent Tarpine Airpark.
Critics, including airport manager Steven Fults, accuse the county of long-term neglect, allowing the airport to deteriorate and refusing improvement grants, while potentially rejecting an offer from the Tarpine Airpark HOA to assume control.
The proposed closure is drawing widespread opposition from aviation advocacy groups and other airport officials who underscore the airport's vital economic, social, and recreational contributions to the community.

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Living in an airpark where the runway is in your backyard is a dream for many pilots, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare when your access to the runway is denied because the strip is owned by someone other than the homeowners. That’s the situation facing residents of Tarpine Airpark just south of Panacea, Florida.

The airpark is adjacent to Wakulla County Airport (2J0). On September 19, the Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners is expected to vote to close the county-owned, public-use airport.