HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 30 1989 FAA May Side With SebastianN
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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
70th YEAR -NO. 280 JUNE 30, 1989 56 PAGES, 4 SECTIONS
FAA May Side With Sebastian
By PATRICIA DiLALLA "Local and federal representatives are seeking now
Sebastian Bureau Chief to resolve a conflict. We are on the road to resolving
An attempt by a Sebastian resident to maneuver it," he said.
the Federal Aviation Administration into reclaiming
the Sebastian Municipal Airport could backfire with Burney Carter, attorney for resident Burt Snell,
the FAA taking the side of the city. said he soon will be filing a petition asking the court
to compel the city to adopt the ordinances.
Although the federal government generally does
not enter into state court rulings, said FAA senior,
attorney Bob Eisengrein, "We would support (the
city) on factual matters."
Eisengrein said the threatened lawsuit to force the
city to adopt the ordinances implementing the airport
charter amendments was "poorly timed to interfere
with governmental bodies."
Instead of adopting the ordinances, as required
under a referendum approved by voters in March,
council entered into a standstill agreement with the
FAA, which objects to a provision in the charter
amendments imposing a 65-decibel noise limit at the
airport.
Please See FAA/2A
250 SINGLE COPY
FAA From
Pg. 1 A
Under the terms of the
agreement, the city agreed not to
adopt the ordinance, but rather un-
dertake a comprehensive planning
study on the airport and its
relationship to the community. For
its part, the FAA agreed to hold off
invoking the reverter clause in the
deed conveying the airport to the
elf,.....
Carter said his client and other
supporters are disturbed that the
airport has been operated by politi-
cal decisions.
"They would rather see the air-
port under the supervision of the
FAA," Carter said, "if that is what
it comes to so the airport will be
run not by politicians but by
people operating it as an airport."
Since the FAA warned it would
invoke the reverter clause if the 65
decibel limit was imposed, Carter
said, forcing the council to adopt
the ordinances will lead to FAA
action.
"(Snell) wants to get it over with
and get the airport out from under
the city's control," Carter said.
If it were an easy task for the
FAA to reclaim the airport, Eisen-
grein said, "we would not have un-
dertaken all of the efforts that we
have to try to bring about a solu-
tion to a local government's prob-
lem.
"The federal government is not
in the business of taking away air-
ports," he said, and the FAA has
never invoked the reverter clause.