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Naples Airport Authority survey shows strong community support, and for keeping it at current site
By WGCU Staff
April 18, 2025 at 2:23 PM EDT
A new survey of registered voters in Naples and Collier County shows broad community support for Naples Airport — and a similarly strong desire to keep the historic airfield at its current location.
The community survey, conducted for the Naples Airport Authority by independent research and polling firm American Pulse, found that 82.9% of Naples residents viewed the airport as being important to the community, and 15.7% total of both city and county residents consider it not important.
With a recent exploratory study identifying four potential sites for a possible relocation, the scientific poll found that 63.1% of Naples residents and 60.8% of others in Collier County prefer the Naples Airport to remain at its current location.
With additional context — including the distance to alternative locations, and the projected cost and timeline of such an undertaking — support for keeping the airport where it is pushes past 70% among both cohorts.
The 37-question survey, which included several open-ended questions where respondents could share their thoughts in their own words, was provided to 1,421 Naples and Collier County voters selected by random sampling.
They were interviewed by telephone and text from mid-March to early April. In survey sections with a series of related questions, those questions were randomly rotated to avoid any ordering bias, increasing reliability.
The survey has a 2.6% margin of error, with a 95% confidence level. Of the completed surveys , nearly 72% were conducted by live telephone interviews, with the remainder via a text-to-web response. Using both methods helped increase participation. Results were presented and discussed at the April 17 meeting of the Naples Airport Authority Board of Commissioners.
“This data-driven survey of community sentiment provides us with valuable insights to better assist the governing board in planning for the future,” said Chris Rozansky, Naples Airport Authority executive director.
Rozansky noted that the survey also showed that many residents remain unfamiliar with the airport’s funding model and its lack of control of flight routes. Most were not aware that the airport receives no local tax dollars, generating its revenue from airport operations. Additionally, many respondents were unaware that the Federal Aviation Administration — and not the airport — oversees flight routes.
Conversely, awareness of the airport’s $781 million annual economic impact raised favorable impressions among respondents to nearly 83% in Naples and more than 90% in the rest of the county.
To view the complete survey, including the questions and results, visit https://www.flynaples.com/naples-airport-authority-survey-to-measure-community-sentiment/.
About Naples Airport
Naples Airport is located within minutes of downtown Naples and I-75. The airport serviced 119,075 annual operations and more than 200,000 passengers last year. Home to corporate aviation, air charter, car rental, flight schools and public services such as fire/rescue, air ambulance services, mosquito control and the Collier County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit, the airport also acts as the hub of emergency staging during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
The community survey, conducted for the Naples Airport Authority by independent research and polling firm American Pulse, found that 82.9% of Naples residents viewed the airport as being important to the community, and 15.7% total of both city and county residents consider it not important.
With a recent exploratory study identifying four potential sites for a possible relocation, the scientific poll found that 63.1% of Naples residents and 60.8% of others in Collier County prefer the Naples Airport to remain at its current location.
With additional context — including the distance to alternative locations, and the projected cost and timeline of such an undertaking — support for keeping the airport where it is pushes past 70% among both cohorts.
The 37-question survey, which included several open-ended questions where respondents could share their thoughts in their own words, was provided to 1,421 Naples and Collier County voters selected by random sampling.
They were interviewed by telephone and text from mid-March to early April. In survey sections with a series of related questions, those questions were randomly rotated to avoid any ordering bias, increasing reliability.
The survey has a 2.6% margin of error, with a 95% confidence level. Of the completed surveys , nearly 72% were conducted by live telephone interviews, with the remainder via a text-to-web response. Using both methods helped increase participation. Results were presented and discussed at the April 17 meeting of the Naples Airport Authority Board of Commissioners.
“This data-driven survey of community sentiment provides us with valuable insights to better assist the governing board in planning for the future,” said Chris Rozansky, Naples Airport Authority executive director.
Rozansky noted that the survey also showed that many residents remain unfamiliar with the airport’s funding model and its lack of control of flight routes. Most were not aware that the airport receives no local tax dollars, generating its revenue from airport operations. Additionally, many respondents were unaware that the Federal Aviation Administration — and not the airport — oversees flight routes.
Conversely, awareness of the airport’s $781 million annual economic impact raised favorable impressions among respondents to nearly 83% in Naples and more than 90% in the rest of the county.
To view the complete survey, including the questions and results, visit https://www.flynaples.com/naples-airport-authority-survey-to-measure-community-sentiment/.
About Naples Airport
Naples Airport is located within minutes of downtown Naples and I-75. The airport serviced 119,075 annual operations and more than 200,000 passengers last year. Home to corporate aviation, air charter, car rental, flight schools and public services such as fire/rescue, air ambulance services, mosquito control and the Collier County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit, the airport also acts as the hub of emergency staging during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.