Monroe County Mayor Holly Raschein gave a welcome speech to more than 1,000 attendees to open the conference with MIA CEO Ralph Cutié. Held in a different Florida location annually, the exposition brings together aviation workers from throughout Florida and beyond including airport professionals, vendors, design teams, architects and more. The 2024 conference was held at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort.

“Investing In Our Future”

Raschein spoke of her family’s roots in aviation in her home state of Alaska and elaborated on Florida’s booming aviation industry including commercial service, air cargo, and the millions of jobs generated as a result of thriving facilities throughout the state.

“Florida’s airports are an economic engine generating $336 billion in economic benefits,” Raschein said, adding Florida receives a $1.72 return for every dollar invested. Florida also soars in national rankings – number one in total pilots, commercial rating, and flight instructors.

 “Our airports are more than just transportation hubs; they are the front door to our state. They reflect our commitment to excellence, innovation and hospitality,” Raschein said. “By investing in our airports, we are investing in our future.”  

“We are thrilled to be cohosting this conference and sincerely thank our mayor for being here to give a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of Key West International Airport,” said EYW Executive Director Richard Strickland. “We’re proud to be part of a thriving industry and were happy to cohost this conference with some of the best aviation professionals from across the state.”

“Building A Vision”

On Tuesday morning, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue gave remarks regarding the future of aviation in Florida. Considering the state’s exponential population and economic growth, the cost of doing business has increased due to infrastructure needs, he said.

“So that places demand on that infrastructure and you find yourself trying to do more with the same amount of money,” Perdue said. “We have to build a vision for where we want to be 20 to 25 years from now and create a policy framework for our lawmakers and policy makers to fund transportation... that’s the conversation we’re going to need to have.”

Other Conference Highlights

The conference continues through Wednesday, August 14, with sessions regarding the state of the industry; legislation; cargo and trade; new trends in airport security; IT trends and more.

The exhibition hall was home to 95 vendor booths throughout the course of the conference.

It was a record-breaking Florida Airports Council conference in terms of registrations – the most on record at over 1,000.