Public Outcry Forces Councilman To Re-Think His Position

A council member in Wellington, FL near Palm Beach has reversed course on his attempt to regulate two private airstrips in the village after the public voiced strong objections to the move.

Councilman Matt Willhite had proposed an ordinance restricting noise at the two private airports, but which would have primarily affected the Wellington Aero Club. The neighborhood consists of about 250 homes and a private runway that was recently paved. Willhite recently moved into a home in the neighborhood less than a thousand feet from the runway. He purchased the home shortly after asking the village staff for a reconsideration of the ordinance, which had first been introduced over a year ago.

The Palm Beach Post reports that Willhite sought to restrict hours of operation and flight training at the aviation community. The Wellington Aero Club Property Owners Association promptly engaged the services of an attorney to determine if the local law presumed to supersede FAA regulations and local covenants. They had threatened to sue if the proposed ordinance was made into law. The proposal was also universally opposed in public hearings at village council committee meetings.

The paper reports that Willhite has not answered questions regarding the timing of the ordinance. In an email to village manager Paul Schofield, Willhite said the community would be better served if the council discussed "protecting the residential character of the neighborhoods in the fashion of not allowing any aspect of our residential areas to be commercialized.”

Shofield said he had the authority to kill the ordinance if it came to that.

FMI: www.wellingtonfl.gov