STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — Residents living near Witham Field Airport say a surge in jet traffic is disrupting their quality of life, prompting them to appeal to city and county officials for relief.
In a letter dated March 15, local residents Brian Duplisea and Lisa Hammer asked the City of Stuart Commission and Martin County Board of County Commissioners to address what they describe as excessive aircraft activity near the airport, also known as Stuart Airport (SUA).
The couple said they purchased their home about 10 years ago with the understanding that some aircraft noise would come with living near the airport. According to the letter, they had researched potential airport activity before buying and felt the level of noise at the time would be manageable.
“We were satisfied that the airport activities and noise associated with them would be acceptable to us,” the letter states. The residents even described themselves as aviation enthusiasts who enjoy watching aircraft take off and land, and host an annual backyard gathering to view the Stuart Air Show.
However, they say conditions have changed dramatically during periods when airspace restrictions are imposed in nearby Palm Beach County while President Donald Trump is visiting Mar-a-Lago.
During those times, the residents claim, aircraft are redirected to Stuart, resulting in frequent private jet takeoffs and landings. In their letter, they described jets arriving and departing only seconds apart during busy periods.
“Since 6:45 this Sunday morning, there has been one jet right after the next, taking off and landing — too many to count,” the letter states.
The residents also raised concerns about the smell of jet fuel and its effect on the neighborhood. They wrote that the odor has been strong enough to irritate their throats and cause coughing during outdoor activities, such as morning bicycle rides.
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They say the situation has forced them to close windows and rely on air conditioning even during pleasant spring weather.
“Whenever these airspace restrictions are in place, our quality of life is significantly negatively impacted,” the letter says.
While acknowledging that airspace restrictions are controlled by the federal government, the residents asked local officials to explore possible solutions, such as limiting airport capacity or finding other ways to reduce jet traffic during those periods.
Residents said they hope the issue can be addressed so the community can continue enjoying life near the airport without the current level of disruption.
We were told Witham Field is not in the Stuart city limits, so City Commissioners cannot address the issue. We called Martin County Commissioners, seeking comment. None called us back.
We took the concerns to Witham Field Airport Director Andrew McBean.
“There’s very little we can do on the local airport level. We try our best our best to educate all of our pilots who are flying in and out to use any sort of voluntary noise abatement measures that we have. We’re pre-empted by the FAA to make the airport available for public aeronautical use so we cannot discriminate against any type of aeronautical use, flight training, jet training, sightseeing. We have to make sure that the airport’s available for all those types of aeronautical uses,” McBean said.
McBean says Witham Field cannot place a cap on the number of private jets flying in and out of Witham Field when Pres. Trump is at Mar-a-Lago and temporary flight restrictions are in effect at Palm Beach International Airport.
However, McBean says residents can call the Airport Noise Hotline at 772-221-1458.
He says this allows Witham Field to collect data on noise concerns so when they update their Noise Exposure Map in the next couple of years, they have that information.
That is not immediate help. McBean says it’s unlikely the FAA would impose a cap on the number of private jets that can fly into and out of Witham Field. “I don’t think I see the FAA capping the capacity on the airport,” he said.
There is some good news. McBean says the F-A-A identified nine houses near the airport that are eligible for noise insulation to insulate windows and doors and federal funds are available to pay for it.
Stuart residents can share their concerns about jet noise at the next Airport Noise Advisory Committee Meeting on April 23rd at 10 am at Witham Field.
