Hernando airport's name not worth expensive fight

In Print: Thursday, February 14, 2013
   

At what moment will the Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport include the input of aviation professionals and not be run by a puppet, a puppeteer and a puppet maker?

I am sure the residents of Hernando County enjoy knowing we are spending tax dollars to contest Tampa International Airport's interest in protecting its own identity simply because we lack the creativity and marketing strategy to develop our own brand unique to the history of our airport and county.

The County Commission was told that there were focus groups, studies, and surveys done to vet the name change, yet when I queried the depth of the vetting I was told that approximately $800 was spent, and most of that was on food and drinks for one meeting with a moderator.

Additionally, I have continued to ask how much the rebranding is going to cost the taxpayers to include the legal services to defend the name change, with no accurate response.

I guess the airport administration is still trying to figure out the cost of that horse even though they have already have committed to the cart.

If Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport is the extent of our creativity in marketing why not just let Tampa Aviation Authority run our airport and save the hundreds of thousands for the salaries of our airport administration?

If the money to fight this legal battle was to come from Don Silvernell's, Gary Schraut's, or any of the commissioners' pockets, I feel more confident that the creative juices would flow once again.

Could the airport use a name change? Sure, why not.

Is it worth spending thousands or tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands to legally contest TIA's claim to its name? I certainly don't think so.

I ask every resident of Hernando County, if it was your money, which it is, would you seriously spend your money on defending a name change to Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport or would you just build your own identity?

Robert S. Rey, Brooksville

Source:  http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters