Residents in the neighborhoods beneath flight paths worry about their quality of life.
Passengers disembark an Allegiant Air flight from Concord, N.C., last month at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
Louis Claudio's house sometimes shakes in the middle of the night. A roar fills his ears, and he wakes up in a panic, only to realize it’s not the end of the world — just a plane flying low over his home.
And more planes are likely to follow.
These planes often fly past after midnight, heading to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. Their flight paths cross over communities like Oldsmar, Pinellas Park, Del Oro Grove, and Safety Harbor, where Claudio lives. Since he moved in, the airport's business has grown significantly.
The number of passengers per year has more than doubled, from 1 million in 2013 to 2.5 million in 2023. To accommodate the increased traffic, the airport recently announced a $110 million expansion.
The expansion will feature the addition of a second floor and extra gates, potentially increasing capacity by up to 20%, according to an airport report to Pinellas County.
“We need this,” said Michele Routh, the airport spokesperson. “We need more gate areas, more restrooms, and many other facilities. We are bursting at the seams.
Ground operations agent Preston Manzol guides an arriving Allegiant Air flight from Concord, N.C., to a ramp last month at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
For Claudio, the expansion signals a decline in his quality of life rather than an improvement.
When he moved to Safety Harbor in 1996, plane traffic from the airport wasn't an issue. He bought his house knowing it was near a flight path, but at the time, his sleep wasn't disrupted by frequent night flights. Many years later, Claudio now finds himself awakened three to four times a night, often past midnight.
“I know fish have to swim and planes have to fly,” Claudio said. “My main concern is just getting some sleep. I know I can’t be the only one affected by this.”
Allegiant Air, the primary commercial airline operating at St. Pete-Clearwater, agreed to a voluntary quiet window from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. in 2005 as part of a noise abatement campaign. However, Claudio has counted over 400 planes during the quiet window since the beginning of this year, and he fears that number will increase with the expansion.
Claudio mentioned that if he had the resources, he would move.
Occasionally, weather delays or mechanical issues push flights into the night. Since the airport is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, local entities like the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners lack the authority to impose curfews or fines in such cases. Over the years, Claudio has submitted thousands of noise complaints to airport authorities. According to airport data, twenty other households have also complained this year.
Passengers wait in line at Allegiant Air’s reservations and flight ticketing desk at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport last month. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
But there isn’t much the county or the airport can do to address the issue, County Commissioner Dave Eggers said.
“I think they do a pretty good job of getting most of the flights during the day and early evening,” Eggers said. “But that doesn’t preclude them from being able to fly anytime they want.”
The expansion money will go toward consolidating the security checkpoints (there are two) and building a second level, which will open opportunities for more gates and passenger bridges so customers can board right from the terminal, rather than walking outside and up a series of ramps. Airport staff are also seeking funding for a new parking garage, Routh said.
Eggers believes that the new additions could offer more flexibility to shift nighttime flights to daytime hours, potentially reducing overnight noise.
Residents can also directly engage with the airport through its Noise Abatement Task Force, comprising representatives from local communities, airlines, and the airport. According to its webpage, stricter noise regulations from the Aviation Administration have resulted in quieter planes.
Two years ago, Reece Nanfito felt reassured by the airport’s website regarding noise levels before purchasing a home in Del Oro Groves. He was under the impression that most planes flew over Tampa Bay and that the voluntary quiet window was adhered to for nearly all flights. However, in his experience, this hasn’t been the case. Like Claudio, flights consistently disrupt his sleep, though unlike Claudio, he prefers not to relocate.
A mural welcomes passengers on the tarmac at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport on June 20. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
Instead, he believes local authorities, such as the county and the airport, could explore solutions for affected neighborhoods, such as funding to retrofit older homes for noise insulation. Many of these homes, built in the 1950s, have minimal insulation and single-pane windows that easily transmit sound. He's currently addressing his own home's noise issues, but he estimates that fully soundproofing it would cost between $30,000 and $50,000.
There's no available funding to help mitigate that,” Nanfito remarked. “My point is, if they're willing to allocate $110 million to expand the airport, allocating just 1% of that to improve sound insulation for affected homes would prevent people from suffering.”
However, officials are cautious about pressuring the airport and Allegiant Air due to their significant contributions to the regional economy, according to Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long. Since its opening in 1957, the airport has injected over $3 billion into the economy (approximately $44 million annually), as reported by the Florida Department of Transportation. Long noted that tourism is the region's primary economic driver.
Long resides beneath a flight path in Seminole and hears the planes arriving and departing, but she personally finds their sound rather comforting.
“I actually find it quite comforting, to be honest, listening to them,” she said.
tampabay.com | Tampa Bay Times | By Siena Duncan, Times staff
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