Story ID: 
Customs Comes To Florida's Witham Field
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: After nearly a decade of planning, the Martin County Airport in Stuart has its own U.S. Customs facility, which can process both airplanes and boats.
Word Count: 213
Starting today, arriving international flights will be able to be cleared at Florida’s Martin County Airport/Witham Field in Stuart, with the opening of a new, stand-alone U.S. Customs facility. The culmination of nine years of planning, the 3,210-sq-ft structure is the first intermodal clearance facility of its kind in the state and will allow pilots, boaters, residents, and visitors to the city to be processed without having to first travel to Fort Pierce or West Palm Beach.

The project, funded through an 80/20 grant partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation Aviation (Multimodal) Division and the Airport Enterprise Fund, will rely on user fees to cover the cost of operations, with fees ranging from $30 for a single-engine piston aircraft to $500 for a heavy jet. It will operate daily from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., except when it is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Adding a customs facility on the airport field is a major step to accommodating more needs, particularly for international operators looking for reliable, quality FBO services in South Florida," noted Dan Capen, president of Stuart Jet Center, one of two service providers on the field. “The addition of customs will be great for the airport, the community, and those who visit us.”