Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) led the bipartisan Tampa Bay Congressional Delegation in urging Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Steve Dickson to include Tampa International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower on FAA’s Replacement List. In partnership with the airport, Members have been working for six years to replace the tower due to its age and deteriorating condition. With President Biden’s signature on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, $25 billion to address our nation’s airports could be used to replace the tower and keep FAA workforce and the traveling public safe. Rep. Castor previously wrote Administrator Dickson and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in August on the same issue.

Members who signed onto the letter include: Kathy Castor (FL14), Gus M. Bilirakis (FL12), Charlie Crist (FL13), Vern Buchanan (FL16), Scott Franklin (FL15), Daniel Webster (FL11) and W. Gregory Steube (FL17).

The letter can be read here and below:

The Honorable Steve Dickson

Administrator

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20591

RE: Request for Inclusion of Tampa International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower on FAA’s Replacement List

Dear Administrator Dickson,

We write to you today to urge the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) add the air traffic control tower at Tampa International Airport (TPA) to the replacement list as soon as possible. With new federal funding available to the FAA for tower replacement, we believe this should be a priority for the FAA.

Over the past six years we have been working to have the tower at TPA replaced due to the age and condition of the tower. This includes, but is not limited to, issues with the concrete, electric, plumbing, roof and the latest incident on October 30^th when an air traffic controller was trapped for over an hour in the elevator.

The air space in Florida is one of the busiest in the country and any impact in the Tampa Bay region could have an impact on our national air space.  The condition of the tower is a concern to us all for the safety and security of the FAA workforce and the traveling public.

Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA), which owns and operates TPA, has worked with the FAA to identify a location for a replacement tower.  We look forward to working with the FAA to ensure this project is a priority for funding. Please reach out to Jake Barr (Jake.Barr@mail.house.gov) in Rep. Castor’s office if you have any questions.