Two Bay area airport towers scheduled for closure got a reprieve Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration had previously announced that it would be closing the federally contracted air traffic control towers were set to shut down this month.
The agency is trying to trim more than $630 million from its budget as a result of sequestration.
Florida Senator Bill Nelson says the sequester should’ve never happened.
“We now have a budgeting mechanism that’s forcing cuts across the board that it was never intended it,” said Nelson.
Officials announced Friday that it will delay that move until June 15. That includes two local airports: Albert Whitted in St. Petersburg and Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
“These kinds of airports were going to have their safety compromised. And that was my argument to the secretary of transportation,” said Nelson.
The delay now buys some time for the airports to look at their legal options, a plan of how to guide planes in without the towers or a way to fund the towers themselves.
“I think the government should find other places to cut rather than public safety around airports like this one,” said Albert Whitted Pilot James David Oliver.
He says since they’re surrounded by downtown St. Petersburg and share airspace with MacDill airforce base, Tampa International and St. Pete/Clearwater safety becomes a major factor.
But he’s hopeful.
“I’m optimistic that our politicians will find a way to keep the towers open," said Oliver.
Officials at Albert Whitted said they are just thankful for the extra time.
"We can all kind of take a deep breath now, I think, and kind of re-analyze everything, but by no means do we as an industry take the pressure off," airport manager Richard Lesniak said. "We need to find a permanent solution to this."
Airport officials said another one of their concerns is the public safety issue, as the airport is located in a densely populated area.