St. Pete-Clearwater Airport Parking Garage: $60M Build Set for January 2027

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport plans to start construction on an approximately $60 million parking garage with more than 2,000 spaces in January 2027, with completion expected by spring 2028, airport director Mark Sprague said at a Florida Economic Club gathering in St. Petersburg on November 4, 2026 (St Pete Catalyst). Sprague also outlined a first-phase terminal expansion of about 40,000 square feet with four jet bridges and plans to develop part of the former Airco golf course property for aviation use.

What Happened

Speaking Wednesday evening at Voodoo Brewing Co., Sprague, who began his official tenure as director in March after serving as deputy and interim director, laid out short- and long-term plans for the county-owned airport known as PIE (St Pete Catalyst). The airport, originally built in 1957, serves 2.8 million passengers today, while the current terminal is sized for about 3 million.

Parking is the most immediate project. “So, one of the major complaints that we have is that we don't have any parking,” Sprague said. The approximately $60 million garage adjacent to the terminal will add more than 2,000 spaces, with construction expected to begin in January 2027 and finish by spring 2028 (St Pete Catalyst).

On the terminal, Sprague said leaders are exploring conceptual designs for a building that will eventually handle 4.5 million to 5 million passengers. The first phase is an approximately 40,000-square-foot expansion with four jet bridges. “If we can keep our current brick and mortar, we will,” he said. “If we can't, we're going to tear it down” (St Pete Catalyst). Near-term work includes updated seating and wayfinding signage along with roofing and lighting improvements, and the airport is studying longer-term infrastructure such as taxiways.

Land for Growth

PIE occupies about 2,000 acres, roughly 1,000 of which are actively used for operations. The airport plans to develop about 32 acres of the approximately 128-acre Airco site, a former golf course, for aeronautical use, with another section available for non-aeronautical tenants such as business parks and hotels. The team is also weighing uses for the roughly 10-acre former Turtle Club site (St Pete Catalyst).

Background: How the Plan Got Here

Pinellas County commissioners approved the garage approach in December 2025, when they unanimously awarded a $3.1 million design-build contract to an Apopka-based firm identified by the St Pete Catalyst as Finrock Construction. That plan called for a four-story, 2,000-space garage replacing the secondary economy lot, a 300-space surface lot, a dedicated shuttle route and upgrades to the Roosevelt Boulevard and Fairchild Drive intersection, which would become the garage's main entrance (St Pete Catalyst). The budget rose from an earlier $45 million estimate to $60 million, split between $30 million in grants and revenues and $30 million from reserves, and county administrator Barry Burton called it “a 30% increase in our parking” (St Pete Catalyst). At that time, the first garage was projected to open in late 2027; the schedule Sprague described this week runs to spring 2028.

The terminal program has also been rescoped. In August 2026, airport officials presented a $145 million terminal makeover after an earlier plan was scrapped because costs exceeded the budget, with full construction projected to end in 2032 (FOX 13). In September, commissioners voted 4-3 to approve the roughly $145 million overhaul along with a $1.74 million preconstruction contract with American Infrastructure Development to serve as the county's representative, after questions were raised about the scoring criteria used in that procurement (St Pete Catalyst). The county administrator said the county would review the issue, and the Catalyst reported that no federal agency had found a violation.

How It Is Funded

PIE does not receive tax dollars. “We have to be 100% self-sufficient,” Sprague said, noting that revenue comes from user fees, airline charges, lease rentals and concessions, plus federal and state grants, and that all projects are fully funded before work begins (St Pete Catalyst). Allegiant, the airport's main carrier, signed a new five-year contract in September.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• A steady pipeline in Pinellas. A garage starting in January 2027, a phased terminal program and future taxiway work give Tampa Bay contractors several years of aviation-related bidding at one site.
• Working around an operating airport. Garage and roadway work at the main entrance means phasing, traffic control and maintaining passenger access will drive schedules and general conditions.
• Development land. Non-aeronautical parcels on the Airco site could bring business park and hotel opportunities for private developers once the airport defines uses (St Pete Catalyst).
• Regional context. The work adds to a busy aviation market across the bay, where Tampa International's Airside D is rising.

What to Watch

• Final garage construction costs, which airport leaders expected to know by the end of 2026 (St Pete Catalyst).
• Design progress on the 40,000-square-foot first-phase terminal expansion.
• Decisions on the Airco and Turtle Club parcels.

Bottom Line

PIE is moving from planning to building. The $60 million garage is set to start in January 2027, the terminal program is being phased around an existing building, and new land is being prepared for aviation and commercial use, all funded without local tax dollars.

Key Questions

When will the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport parking garage be built?

Construction on the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport parking garage is expected to begin in January 2027 and be completed by spring 2028 (St Pete Catalyst).

How many spaces will the new PIE airport garage have?

The new garage at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will have more than 2,000 spaces and cost approximately $60 million (St Pete Catalyst).

How big is the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport terminal expansion?

The first phase of the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport terminal plan is an approximately 40,000-square-foot expansion with four jet bridges (St Pete Catalyst).

How is the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport garage being paid for?

The $60 million garage budget is split between $30 million in grants and revenues and $30 million from airport reserves, with no loans or bonds (St Pete Catalyst).

Related Coverage

• Tampa Airport Airside D Exterior Walls Go Up as Precast Panels Set
• Downtown Clearwater Redevelopment: Pinellas Rejects Both Bids for 24.5 Acres
• Update: St. Petersburg GO Bond Passes as Voters Approve $600M for Storm Resilience

Image credit: Michael Connor/St Pete Catalyst. Image from the source article, St Pete Catalyst.

Sources

• St Pete Catalyst, “Airport director lays out expansion, improvements plan,” https://stpetecatalyst.com/airport-director-lays-out-expansion-improvements-plan/
• St Pete Catalyst, “St. Pete-Clearwater Airport budgets $60 million for parking,” https://stpetecatalyst.com/st-pete-clearwater-airport-budgets-60-million-for-parking/
• St Pete Catalyst, “St. Pete-Clearwater airport contract draws scrutiny,” https://stpetecatalyst.com/st-pete-clearwater-airport-contract-draws-scrutiny/
• FOX 13 Tampa Bay, “St. Pete-Clearwater Airport proposes $145 million terminal makeover,” https://www.fox13news.com/news/st-pete-clearwater-international-airport-looks-expand-again