It will cost about $38 million to demolish and rebuild the portion of the parking garage damaged by the May 16 fire at Jacksonville International Airport.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority board unanimously approved funding for the project June 18.
JAA Chief Financial Officer Ross Jones estimated $3.7 million in lost revenue due to 500 parking spaces being offline. That includes losses in hourly and rental car parking. There are also security fees.
The authority hired Cotton Global Disaster Solutions to assess structural damage, stabilize the garage, oversee demolition and remove damaged vehicles.
Two floors of the southern portion of the structure are compromised, according to a JAA memo.
Director of External Affairs Michael Stewart said the project will be funded through a combination of JAA funds and insurance. The split has not been determined and a decision is not expected soon.
The investigation is ongoing and no timeline has been established. Stewart said construction could take up to a year and a half.
JAA Chief Operating Officer Tony Cugno said about 700 vehicles have been “reunited with their owners.”
As part of its emergency response plan, Cugno said JAA assessed the situation within 10 minutes, escorted evacuated passengers from the garage, executed a shelter-in-place mandate and set up a call center.
Thirty-seven flights were canceled.
Despite it being the largest disaster in the airport’s history, JAA board Chair Michelle Barnett said no injuries were reported.
Three vehicles remain in the garage, including the BMW X3 believed to have started the fire and the vehicles on either side of it. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Cugno said the daily garage under construction on the eastern portion of airport property was not affected. He said the new structure will not include sprinklers, as Florida code does not require them for garages with fewer than 12,000 spaces. If the code changes, he said, JAA will comply.
The new garage will add 2,000 spaces at JIA. It is scheduled for completion in June 2026.