Major 86-acre project planned at Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 20, 2022

Leaders at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport have seen their efforts to activate the expansive property for business come to fruition.

Burrell Aviation, part of Colorado-based The Burrell Group, announced on Wednesday that it would lease 86 acres at the Hernando County airport for a project expected to total $75 million and create more than 900 jobs.

The 700,000-square-foot project will likely accommodate air and truck cargo facilities, cold and dry storage, maintenance and repair operations and eventually private hangars.

"The tenants will be what the market will bear," John Rodstrom, Burrell Aviation’s chief of financial services, said in an interview. "This airport can do a lot of things."

The company is focused on smaller municipal airports — particularly in Florida — as it looks to combat supply chain strain and build out its air cargo network.

“What really led us here was Covid," said Rodstrom at a recent Hernando County meeting. "What it did was unlock e-commerce in this country like we’ve never seen in our lifetime. We don’t think that genie’s going back in the bottle.”

Burrell Aviation plans to compete with Tampa International and Orlando International airports for cargo business. Amazon is a major player at both airports on top of its hub in Lakeland.

Household names such as DHL, UPS and FedEx are in play, along with other under-the-radar cargo companies.

"We really haven't been focusing that much on Amazon because they're so good at what they do themselves," Rodstrom said. "But there are a lot of companies like Amazon who don't have the development capabilities that Amazon has. But I'm not excluding Amazon by any means."

Years of infrastructure improvements — and a long runway — set the Hernando County airport up for success.

“To get to today, the county has been investing, for many years and millions of dollars in funds from the DOT, FAA and the county not only for runways but also the roadways next to it and the extended infrastructure.” Hernando County Administrator Jeff Rogers said in a release. “We believe strongly in Burrell Aviation. We view this project as a partnership for the future.”

Valerie Pianta, economic development director for Hernando County, said Burrell Aviation received no incentives other than a reduced land lease for up to four years. It will also receive expedited permitting.

"With the number of jobs and investment in our community they're providing, we're happy to support them in that way," Pianta said.

The Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport will also soon be home to a new workforce development center in partnership with the local government and schools. The technical school could help feed Burrell Aviation with the necessary workers, as students will be trained in industries like manufacturing, health care and aviation.

Burrell Aviation Brooksville LLC was incorporated on March 9, according to filing records. Burrell Aviation in Aspen, Colorado, has about 15 employees, according to Rodstrom.

"To meet the needs of its customers, Burrell Aviation enters long-term leases with municipally owned airports. In coordination with Burrell Aviation, these municipalities are dedicated to improving their airport infrastructure to accommodate a broad range of tenants through a sublease agreement structure," the company's website states.