JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- While Jacksonville leaders scramble to figure out how to deal with massive budget cuts, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority is making money by renting out city property.
Action News exclusively obtained a long list of private businesses all renting property from JAA, many of them renting airport property that is owned by you, the Duval County Taxpayer.
"The airport authority owns a lot of property that's non-aviation related that they rent, they lease out to businesses for a variety of purposes, they make money off of it," said City Council President, Bill Bishop. Bishop says the city should be making money off that property instead.
"In a sense they are making money off of a tax payer owned property," he said. "The tax payers deserve a return on that."
Councilman Matt Schellenberg agrees. If the Airport Authority isn't using the property given to them for flying, they shouldn't be using it at all.
"JIA, their focus is international travel, real estate, they don't need it," said Schellenberg. "If it's not related to their future expansion of runways or related to that specifically they should give it back to the city and the city should not own it they should sell it.
"I don't know what the value of the properties are at JIA but it's something we should look at," said Shellenberg.
Sell it so the city can fill financial gaps in the budget crisis.
The Airport Authority did not want to comment on the councilmen's concerns.
