THERE’S A NEW AIRPORT IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA ! Well.., not really, but if you haven’t paid much attention to the news in St. Johns county in the last several months, you might think so.
Recently the St. Johns County Airport just north of St. Augustine on U.S. 1, underwent an exciting new change. After many years of being called the St. Augustine / St. Johns County Airport, (or colloquially, the “St. Augustine Airport”), the name was changed to the Northeast Florida Regional Airport, (NFRA).
The Northeast Florida Regional airport has been an aviation icon since the early 1900’s and is now the major gateway to northeast Florida. With runways that can handle the largest and fastest aircraft in the world, and with “all weather” capability, the Northeast Florida Regional Airport has equivalent capabilities to the Jacksonville airport and the Daytona Beach airport.
The Northeast Florida Regional airport is home to the hundreds of aircraft that are based at NFRA, a full service Customs facility, and a state of the art Air Traffic control tower. The airport provides world class aviation facilities, runways, infrastructure, and service to numerous military, law enforcement, corporate and general aviation aircraft operators and owners from all over the world.
The Northeast Florida Regional airport has an economic impact to St. Johns county, and tangentially to all of northeast Florida, of $500 million annually ! That’s a tremendous economic generator for any locale, but it provides our area with a huge “shot in the arm” economically. Although currently there are no scheduled airline operations at the airport, rumors abound that there may be a major airline operation serving the airport very soon. With that probable addition to the services the airport provides, the positive impact on the economy will be immeasurable !
The real estate industry is now starting to see a positive turnaround in Northeast Florida, as well as in other parts of the country. Fortunately for us here in St. Johns county, being home to “the Gateway to Northeast Florida”, (the Northeast Florida Regional Airport), and having the ability to accommodate dozens of Fortune 50 corporate jets, 757’s and 767’s, on the ramp at NFRA is an unbelievable positive economic benefit.
Positive benefit..? Yes ! Why? Because the passengers on those aircraft are the corporate CEO’s, business investors and bankers, that have chosen our community to fly into, and who are pumping millions of dollars into the local economy. In many cases they are buying homes or condos while looking for other business and investment opportunities.
If you would like to know more about the airport, or have some ideas / comments, about the positive economic impact the airport plays in the overall economy of north Florida, please “blog” it here and give us your input.
This blog was written by Bob Cox from Watson Realty Ponte Vedra, Realtor and Vice Chairman for the St. Johns Airport Authority.
I take great pride in assisting home buyers and home sellers with their real estate in St. Augustine. If you are looking for property in St. Augustine Beach, World Golf Village, Marsh Creek, Palencia or Royal St. Augustine, I can help you achieve your St. Augustine real estate goals. I specialize in St. Augustine waterfront properties, St. Augustine historic properties and St. Augustine golf course communities. Please contact me today if I can be of service or click here to search the MLS like an Agent.
Stefanie Bernstein, Broker / Associate
Phone: (904) 669-5134
Watson Realty Corp.
3175-1 A1A South
St. Augustine, Fl. 32080
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