St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is reviving a long-stalled overhaul of its passenger terminal, with officials asking Pinellas County Commissioners to approve $145 million in funding to modernize aging infrastructure and expand capacity.
The airport first launched the renovation effort in 2023, but shelved it in 2025 after cost estimates exceeded the original budget. Airport leadership is now bringing the plan back before commissioners, citing a sharp rise in passenger volume and facilities that have not kept pace with growth.
“The airport has changed dramatically,” said Mark Sprague, the director of the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport. Sprague outlined the case for the project during a recent Pinellas County Commission Work Session, pointing to years of steady increases in travelers alongside growing operational demands.
“Passenger traffic has increased over 67% in the last five years,” Sprague said. “Operational and regulatory requirements have expanded. Our facilities are continuing to age.”
Under the proposed plan, crews would renovate gates two through six and overhaul the hold room with new flooring, seating, lighting, and passenger amenities. The security checkpoint would also be redesigned with updated queuing and exit-lane technology.
Beyond visible upgrades, the project addresses infrastructure that passengers rarely see. Portions of the terminal’s sanitary system date to the 1950s and 1960s and remain in need of replacement.
“Our sewage system, we replaced our pipes inside the terminal, we also replaced our pipes along their street side,” Sprague said. “But we still have three sections that we need to pipe, and they’re still original pipes from the 50s and 60s.”
The airport also plans to boost capacity by expanding into a new concept that would accommodate up to 4.5 million passengers annually within its current footprint. That effort includes construction of a 40,000-square-foot elevated terminal and four to five additional jet bridges.
Commissioners have not yet signed off on the funding, though officials hope for approval as soon as September 2026. If the money is approved on that timeline, designs would be finalized by June 2026, and construction would wrap up by 2032.
The work session marked an early step in what officials describe as a multiyear process to bring the terminal up to date with current demand.