Airport Operator Wants City to Pay Up

LAKE WALES | Airport operator Betty Hill said she is preparing to bill the city for the loss of business and extra expenses she has incurred since Hurricane Charley destroyed the airport in August 2004.

"I've lost all my business," Hill said. "I got a line of credit to keep going. We're going to be starting all over again."

As "good citizens of Lake Wales," her lawyer, Robin Gibson, said both he and Hill have been reluctant to take direct action against the city.

But almost four years after Charley, the 24,000-square-foot building from which Hill operated the airport and Florida Skydiving Center still has not been replaced.

Hill said she has had to pay to rent portable buildings to use for airport operations, rental of the nearby armory for special events, portable toilets and other costs.

Under her 30-year contract as fixed base operator, Gibson said, the city is responsible for providing the buildings.

Gibson said an independent appraiser has been hired to determine the amount of the loss.

If the city rejects the bill, a lawsuit is expected to follow.

Gibson said he and Hill initially tried to keep the city out of it by filing against the city's insurance company, Public Risk Management.

However, a Circuit Court ruling, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal, said any action would have to be brought against the city.

If he succeeds, Gibson said, he would be glad to assist the city in recovering money from the insurance company.

The insurance company has paid the city for the loss of buildings at the airport, but not for Hill's business losses or expenses.

The city received about $2.6 million in insurance for the airport.

In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the city a $327,000 grant for airport repairs, and the state awarded a $1.5 million grant.

J.T. Torrance, an assistant to City Manager Tony Otte, said a 16,000-square-foot building has been ordered and the pre-fabricated metal building should be in place by the end of the year.

Charley destroyed every building at the airport.

Since then, 18 hangars have been built, but the main building has faced a series of delays.

Torrance said the city faced extra expense because of the need to bring the facility into compliance with fire codes.

That required spending $2.1 million on a new well, hydrants, a generator, storage tank and other equipment, he said. Drainage and other work added to the cost.

Gibson said Hill's losses continue to mount.

"Betty's losses aren't going to stop until they get in the building," he said.

[ Bill Bair can be reached at bill.bair@theledger.com or 863-676-7118. ]