Florida FBO Sues Landlord over Future Competitor’s Bid

PrivateSky Aviation Services, the sole FBO at Southwest Florida International Airport (KRSW) in Fort Myers, Florida, for nearly a quarter century, has filed a lawsuit against its landlord, the Lee County Port Authority (LCPA). In the filing, PrivateSky claims there were improprieties in the request for proposals (RFP) process in which Signature Aviation was recently awarded a leasehold.

According to the complaint filed in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court for Lee County, in May 2024 LCPA issued an RFP for the development of a second FBO on a specified parcel on the airport property at KRSW. The RFP also stated that PrivateSky, as an existing FBO operator, was barred from submitting a proposal, a stipulation it did not challenge due to the unfavorable location proposed for the new leasehold.

The suit noted that after Signature was identified as the preferred provider in November 2024, negotiations with the company—which were not publicly documented and involved alterations to the leasehold and provisions of the RFP—proceeded.

“Simply stated, the awarded lease, as opposed to the lease advertised in the RFP, contained material terms that were never advertised to the public, nor available to be bid upon by anyone other than Signature,” the lawsuit states. PrivateSky alleges this violates state and local government procurement regulations.

This is the latest salvo in a continuing legal battle between the FBO, Signature, and Lee County. AIN reached out to the county, which declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

Signature Aviation responded to an information request from AIN with the following comment: “We are looking forward to bringing our world-class services and operations to the Southwest Florida International Airport, which include critical new facilities to enhance the guest experience and the operational capabilities of this important regional gateway.”