Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka said he may ask the Lee County Port Authority to stand the Port Authority Police Department budget and services up next to Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s office and see if there is a potential cost savings if the departments were one.
Mulicka said that if he does decide to raise the matter at the Sept. 4 joint meeting between commissioners, seated as the Port Authority, and their appointed advisors, the Airports Special Management Committee, any actual comparing and any potential service change would be in the future.
The Sept. 4 meeting will take place at the Training and Conference Center at Southwest Florida International Airport.
Mulicka said as the newest commissioner he is looking at saving money anywhere he can.
The Port Authority Police Chief is Robert Taylor, named chief in March 2024 after serving a year as interim chief. He joined the department in 2007 and was promoted to deputy chief in 2021.
The Port Authority PD is responsible for safety and security at both RSW and Page Field in Fort Myers. They also stand by to immediately assist the Department of Homeland Security. One potential complication is that the Port Authority PD is unionized.
RSW is one of the 50 busiest airports in the country. It saw over 11 million passengers during 2024 and over 97,000 aircraft operations.
Mulicka said no one asked him to propose a comparison, though he did call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to learn something about how such comparisons should be made.
Mulicka also said he believes the idea will at least have to be broached, given that it has become public. The issue does not appear on the meeting agenda. Mulicka issued the following statement on the evening of Sept. 3.
“There is nothing on the agenda at the Lee County Port Authority for the meeting tomorrow concerning a decision on the matter of Port Authority Police Department budget.
“There may be a possible discussion to have staff bring back a side by side comparison with the Sheriff’s Department possible options to the Board in a future meeting to review. I’m not lobbying for one way or another. We are reviewing every part of our budgets for the upcoming year and we need to make informed decisions as part of our responsibility for oversight and accountability as Commissioners.”
The airport operates not with Lee County property taxes, but with revenue from airlines, concessions, rental car companies, passenger and parking fees and other sources, such as federal grants.
The sheriff’s budget, the largest among county departments and constitutional offices, is funded through the Lee County’s operating budget. Commissioners approved $315 million for the current fiscal year, 2024-25.
Earlier this year Commissioner Brian Hamman suggested the possibility of a special taxing district for the sheriff’s budget, to provide more transparency to taxpayers. It did not go anywhere.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Will Lee sheriff take over RSW Port Authority Police? Commissioner wants a look
Reporting by Charlie Whitehead, Fort Myers News-Press / Fort Myers News-Press
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