U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to tour Sarasota airport expansion

By Eric Daugherty

Published Nov. 24, 2023, 3:18 p.m. ET | Updated Nov. 24, 2023

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Washington, D.C., Nov. 3, 2023. (Video/Speaker Mike Johnson, X)

SARASOTA, Fla. – U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will visit Sarasota on Monday to tour the city’s airport expansion.

He will be accompanied by Florida Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan for a construction update and tour of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

The airport is undergoing a nearly $100 million renovation project for a new terminal, which will have five new gates across over 75,000 square feet, Buchanan’s office said.

Buchanan’s office added that the airport, SRQ, is the “fastest growing” in the U.S. from 2019 onward, with a reported $3.2 billion economic impact and a total contribution of more than 20,000 jobs.

SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo will also attend.

“SRQ has seen an unprecedented increase in passenger traffic and demand, growing from 6 airlines and 12 nonstop destinations to 11 airlines serving 55 nonstop destinations, over the last 5 years,” Piccolo said earlier this year. “This new facility will ease crowding and allow for future expansion of airlines and destination.”

The House speaker is set to arrive in the area around 11 a.m.

Johnson was elected as speaker in late-October after Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz spearheaded the effort to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.