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The Federal Aviation Administration has delayed until June 15 the sequestration-tied closure of 149 federally contracted air traffic control towers, including 14 in Florida.
The delay is to give the agency time to resolve multiple legal challenges that have been made to the pending closures that were to begin on Sunday.
On Thursday, Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, asked Gov. Rick Scott for an emergency infusion of $230,545 in state taxpayer money to keep Boca Raton Airport operating.
The Florida towers scheduled for closing are: Naples Municipal, Boca Raton, New Smyrna Beach Municipal, Page Field in Fort Myers, North Perry in Hollywood, Linder Regional in Lakeland, Leesburg International, Jim Taylor Field in Ocala, Ormond Beach Municipal, Punta Gorda, Northeast Florida Regional in St. Augustine, Albert Whitted in St. Petersburg, Witham Field in Stuart, and Space Coast Regional in Titusville.
The federal law requiring $1.2 trillion in across-the-board spending cuts – the FAA share was $637 million – as a penalty for not reaching a deal on specific budget balancing plans began March 1. The closures were to be phased in, with 24 towers closing Sunday, 46 on April 21, and the remaining 79 on May 5.
