No rent for Leonardo temp hangar

MILTON, Fla. - Santa Rosa County Commissioners on Tuesday agreed to allow Leonardo Helicopters to move into the $2 million Helo-Hangar - just built at the Peter Prince Airport and was funded with the economic development franchise fee. The 24-month lease at the hangar will help Leonardo establish its official presence in Santa Rosa County while it begins construction on its 100,000-square-foot support center at Whiting Aviation Park. The county is not charging Leonardo rent at the hangar, contingent upon the company's $25 million capital investment at the industrial park. When Leonardo moves to the new facility, the county will market the facility at Peter Prince to other aviation companies. The county broke ground at Whiting Aviation Park in August 2020, and recently finished a $9.8 million infrastructure project that laid the groundwork for Leonardo and other future buildings to be constructed at the park. Leonardo, awarded a $176 million contract to supply new training helicopters for the Navy, said it hopes to open at the park in the first quarter of 2023. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 05/26/21) Previous