Airport operator accuses county commissioners of being anti-business
When Andy Chan, the CEO of Right Rudder Aviation, asked county commissioners for a 50-year renewal of the lease for Right Rudder, the fixed-based operator at the Inverness Airport since September 2018, they said no.
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But not before a contentious discussion in which Chan explained that the 50-year renewal would allow him time to help recoup a planned $5 million investment on new hangars at the airport. He outlined all the services his company provides and how he has brought high-paying jobs to Citrus County.
The board voted 3-1 on a motion by Commissioner Rebecca Bays on a two-year lease extension. Commissioner Jeff Kinnard pushed for a longer lease agreement and criticized his colleagues’ apparent disfavor with Right Rudder.
Kinnard called it a “vote of no confidence” and one that will reflect badly on the county’s treatment of businesses.
Bays said her motion is not a vote of no confidence and she has nothing against Right Rudder.
Rather, she said, it is about setting a higher standard in general for businesses in Citrus County and not continuing the piecemeal development that’s been the norm.
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