The airport in St. Augustine has been known by many names, and now it has an old one back.
The St. Augustine Airport rebranded as the Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine in 2010 — and later just the Northeast Florida Regional Airport — but officials recently made a push to return to the older, simpler name.
The airport does not currently offer commercial flights, but private charter flights use the airport, as do corporate clients.
Earlier this year, the airport’s interim executive director, Courtney Pittman, asked St. Johns County’s lawmakers to support the change to help clear up passenger confusion.
“At that time, the thinking was … they would have more impact for commercial service by saying that we’re attached to the region,” Pittman said. “But then you would have people get on said commercial flights at that time, land here in St. Augustine and think that they (were) in Jacksonville.”
The bill to change the airport’s name was sponsored by Rep. Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it this week.
The change comes at a tumultuous time for the St. Johns County Airport Authority, the elected body that oversees operations at the newly renamed airport.
An investigation is underway into allegations that members of the Airport Authority board violated state laws requiring that meetings between elected officials be held in public.
