NEW YORK: A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection office at Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is experiencing a hiccup in opening.
Thomas Henderson, assistant director of airports for Monroe County, told the Marathon City Council Tuesday that last-minute change orders from inspectors will set the opening back by at least a month. It was expected to open this month but that’s been pushed back by a month or two.
“It’s an international port of entry. The standards are pretty high,” Henderson told the Keynoter. “There are no major changes to the project, just some detailed-orientated items.”
When it does open, it’s scheduled to have hours from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. The office will have one full-time Customs agent, which is projected to cost $150,000 annually. Costs would be picked up through user fees.
It’s being built by Big Pine Key contractor Pedro Falcon Electrical Contractors through a Monroe County contract for $1,091,403. The facility must be bombproof, including the windows, to meet U.S. Department of Homeland Security requirements.
Henderson also told councilmen that Fort Lauderdale-based charter air service Tropic Ocean Airways is still interested in establishing scheduled round-trip flights from Marathon to the mainland. Representatives from the company initially met with Henderson in February.
“We’re projecting a start date of Oct. 5, but we’re still waiting on an official commitment,” Henderson said. “The flights most likely would be between Marathon and Fort Lauderdale, possibly to an airport in the Orland area, too.”
Ryan Custureri, general manager of Tropic Ocean Airways, told the Keynoter in February that a nine-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan EX would be used for twice-weekly flights if approved by the Monroe County Commission. The county owns the airfield.
The flights would cost about $1,700 total, or $188 per person. The round-trip flights would begin and end at Sheltair Air Services, a company that has a private terminal at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.
