CLEARWATER, Fla. — The original expansion concept St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport leaders began exploring two years ago greatly exceeded available funding and has been scaled back to a modernization-renovation expansion project, according to Airport Director Mark Sprague.
“The original expansion was slated as a budget for $110 million,” he said. “As we continued to get the schematic designs and the project evolved, the price tag was over $200 million.”
Sprague presented his findings and a new recommended path forward to Pinellas County commissioners during a workshop on Thursday. The director said airport leaders met with stakeholders and were consistently told that before building new space, PIE should first modernize the existing terminal…