An airport expansion is a noble idea until you start looking at the money. Somebody famous once said follow the money, and this is a cautionary tale for anyone considering such a project.
The Lee County Board of Port Commissioners recently granted construction companies more than $300 million to expand Terminal 1 at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, a burgeoning area.
That was four years ago, and not a stitch of work has been done. How do you get more than four years behind schedule?
So, what did the board do next?
It voted unanimously to spend another $350 million on the project. And no, I'm not kidding. Is this a great country, or what?
The airport needs an upgrade, but not that badly. Certainly not bad enough to spend almost half a billion dollars on a project that was estimated to cost $300 million and be completed in four years. Now we’re back at the start and another $350 million lighter.
However, Manhattan Construction began to realize that the structural integrity of the designs was not working, and Manhattan Construction President John Reyhan told the board this month. That’s a man of integrity because it’s hard to criticize another company and even harder to flush $300 million away. He deserves any plaudits that come his way.
It still leaves one dilemma; however, no work has been done at the airport.
Bureaucracy seems to be at play here, politically and financially. Again, improving infrastructure is a grand idea, but not when it’s going to double the cost. Unless the board thinks it can recoup its investment over time, including the $370 million.
And who does it end up costing? The taxpayer.
Bureaucracy at its finest.
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