Located just four miles from downtown Naples and all the social and recreational amenities, Naples Airport (KAPF) is the go-to destination for anyone wanting to enjoy all that Florida’s ‘Sun Coast’ has to offer.

But that convenience comes at a cost. Naples Bay, which opens into the Gulf of America, is just a ‘stone’s throw away’ from the threshold of runway 23. So, when a hurricane strikes, between the heavy rainfall and ensuing storm surge, the airport can quickly find itself under feet of standing water.

As the Executive Director of the Naples Airport Authority, Chris Rozansky explains, the airport is not only critical to the success and continued growth of the community but has also played a key role in post-hurricane recovery efforts by providing a staging point for first responders.

But unfortunately, the airports’ barely-above-sea-level elevation means recovery efforts can be stalled by standing water on runways and roads – not to mention the high cost of flood-related repairs.

Come hell or high water.

“We’re undertaking a multifaceted approach to bolstering the resistance and resiliency of all of the airport’s facilities,” Rozansky says. “We’ve invested a lot of time and money implementing a program that will ensure that the airport is resilient and available when our residents need us the most.”

Four of the projects highlighting the extensive ‘storm-resiliency’ program include:

• Purchasing 3,000 linear feet of Tiger Dam, a water-filled, anchored, flood barrier system to help protect the airport’s buildings, vital equipment, and technologies against water intrusion.
• Airfield lighting rehabilitation and electrical vault replacement, including raising all runway and taxiway lighting to 20 inches, and installing 1,100 watertight, LED lights.
• “We’re also going to run all the underground cabling through conduit and install a new experimental freshwater system to flush out corrosive saltwater,” Rozansky explains. “In addition, we’re elevating all of the generators and power controls to keep them above storm surge levels.”
• Modernization of the safety systems, access roads, and operations facilities for the airport’s fuel farm, which will include a dedicated storage tank for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
• The airport has been actively replacing windows, hangar doors, and modifying various structures to accommodate the current code of withstanding 170 mph winds.

“Everyone involved with the Naples Airport Authority is focused on safety and service excellence from arrival to departure,” Rozansky adds. “That includes enhancing the resiliency and readiness of our facilities, people, and equipment to be here when they are needed the most.”