Top boss at Southwest Florida International Airport, Page Field to retire this spring

Lee County Port Authority Executive Director and CEO Ben Siegel, who oversees Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field, is set to retire April 1, 2024, after 32 years of service to the agency.

Siegel started his career in government in the port authority’s finance department in 1992. He served as accounting manager, finance manager, finance director and deputy executive director of administration prior to his final promotion to executive director and CEO.

In his resignation letter sent to Commissioner Brian Hamman, the chairman of the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners, Siegel stressed that this was a difficult decision, calling his time as executive director the “most fulfilling and rewarding experience of my career.

“My career has encompassed the planning, designing, financing and construction of everything that we call Southwest Florida Airport and Page Field today,” he wrote. “I basically grew up alongside the Lee County Port Authority and will always be grateful for what this organization has given me.”

Siegel plans to work part-time as a consultant in the aviation industry after retirement.

The opportunity to “slow down, if you will, and maybe do a little bit less –– spend more time with family and friends” was too good to pass up, he said.

During Seigel’s tenure as executive director and CEO airport revenues climbed from $103.4 million to $124.6 million.

Too, carrier and passenger numbers climbed.

When Siegel became executive director, RSW boasted 11 airlines flying non-stop to 52 destinations, according to chief communications and marketing officer Victoria Moreland. Today, the airport now has contracts with 16 airlines flying non-stop to 63 destinations, the most in the airport's history.

This year alone, Siegel said, they added 22 total destinations, including the non-stop additions.

Siegel saw success as the airport’s executive director despite incredible challenges, including Hurricane Ian and COVID-19.

Siegel was made interim executive director in November 2019, shortly after the discovery that hundreds of thousands of dollars had been siphoned off by the airport’s custodial company, Triangle Services of Florida Inc.

Ten were arrested and charged with conspiracy and racketeering; the investigation turned up ghost employees, destroyed timecards and false hours worked. Those involved made off with at least $700,000.

Ultimately, Siegel fired Triangle and saw the stolen funds returned to RSW, but soon had much bigger problems to deal with: Just a few months later the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, shutting down flights and airports all around the world.

Passenger numbers plunged from the year before, dropping from 10 million total passengers to just 5 million.

"That was a whole new playbook that nobody had even written that all airport directors had to start dealing with," said Siegel. "Airports basically had no traffic, so we were dealing with unprecedented times. Myself and our team navigated through some really, really challenging times from a business perspective."

Still, Siegel said, they came out "stronger than ever," with Southwest Florida becoming one of the markets to recover fastest in the country.

The following year, RSW’s passenger numbers resurged, climbing back to over 10 million.

They held steady through Ian, though internally, RSW considered those numbers lower than they should have been – they were projected to see over 11 million passengers in 2022, Moreland said.

While final numbers aren’t in yet for the 2023 holiday season, RSW most recently saw nearly 9 million passengers embark or disembark at RSW through November.  It is likely that total number will climb by more than a million, going by past December traffic.

However, despite growing revenue, destinations and passenger traffic significantly over four years, as well as dealing with three major crises, Siegel said he was particularly proud of the 20-year master plan he and his staff designed and submitted to the FAA during his tenure as executive director. The plan took two years to complete.

"That plan really sets the stage for future development for the airport and growth for the airport in terms of gates, terminals, runway, and the funding that will be necessary for all the projects needed to meet the demands of our community over the next 20 years," said Siegel.

The facility ultimately has the ability to add a second runway, add more concourses and more gates thanks to the master plan. The plan also outlines the ancillary support facilities necessary to support a commercial service airport, along with the financing and environmental requirements necessary to move these projects forward, said Siegel.

The airport has also begun its $331 million expansion, adding a new concourse and 14 additional gates, which is the second-costliest public works project in the county's history, Siegel said. The first was the construction of the RSW airport itself, at $400 million.

Siegel said no taxpayer dollars go into the running of the airport, which is a for-profit business with a $120 million operating budget. While the airport does get grants, largely, airport users –– passengers, airlines, car rental agencies and vendors alike –– pay for the airport.

"We issue mortgages, basically, to revenue bonds to help pay for these facilities," Siegel said. "And the revenues that we generate here at the airport are the revenues that we use to pay for the interest on the (bond) principle."

The way airports occupy a particular –– and unusual –– intersection of business and government has fascinated Siegel, he said.

"One of the reasons why I decided to stay in government is because it was so close to business," in real business," he said. He cited the most recent negotiations with major airlines for the next ten years of the airport's future.

This agreement that we just wrapped up is the pinnacle of all the use agreements that we've ever had at this airport," Siegel said. "It does secure the financial future of our basically $1.5 billion capital improvement program, and it allows us to be able to fund all of the demand driven capital improvement, development that we need to move forward.

"It's a big deal for, for really, all of Lee County, and really all of Southwest Florida."

Even though he won't be around to enjoy the fruits of his labor, he said, he's thrilled.

Kate Cimini is the Florida Investigative Reporter for the USA TODAY-Network Florida, based at The News-Press and The Naples Daily News. Contact her at 239-207-9369 or kcimini@news-press.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: RSW, Page Field executive director is leaving post after 32 years