Soto Announces $1 Million U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Grant for Kissimmee Gateway Airport

The funds come from the Contract Tower Competitive Grant Program, created thanks to the Infrastructure Law

"We are thrilled that Kissimmee Gateway Airport will be receiving $1 million from the FAA for design work to upgrade their control tower. We've previously secured federal funds to improve their taxiways, so it is encouraging to see the FAA continue investing in our local community. The airport has found an incredible niche locally in executive travel, flight training, and emergency evacuation routes,"said Congressman Soto."I was proud to vote for the Infrastructure Law last Congress, which provided the FAA with billions of dollars to ensure safer skies and a brighter future for our community, where progress and prosperity soar hand in hand."

"The City of Kissimmee is very excited for the opportunity to design and replace the Kissimmee Gateway Airport Air Traffic Control Tower. The Kissimmee tower provides an extremely important service allowing various aviation uses to operate safely and efficiently in the Orlando Region."Said Director of Aviation at Kissimmee Gateway Airport, Shaun Germolus"The City has spent years planning and preparing to construct a new tower to include a new location on the airport, doubling the height, and providing much-needed additional space for modern equipment and staffing functions. The ATCT project is part of a strategic plan to manage and greatly assist the significant growth forecasted for Kissimmee."

In January of this year, Rep. Sotowrote a letterto FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker in support of this award. Kissimmee Gateway plans to use the funding for the design phase of the project. The airport expects the tower to assist with their forecasted traffic of over 160,000 annual visitors.

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