Naples Airport Board Faces First Election

Naples Airport Authority commissioners will be elected for the first time in the board’s nearly 60-year history after a Florida law shifted selection from appointment by the Naples City Council to a countywide and city election, also making the authority an independent special district. Five candidates are competing for Seat 5, including flight school owner and former Navy pilot Keith West and aviation-services executive Jason Brooke, a former Navy aviation electronics technician. Seat 4 is contested by Naples attorney and aircraft owner John Goede and retired attorney, pilot and former Air Force airman Rick Mellon, who has served on an airport noise committee. Voters in Naples and Collier County will choose the board members in the Nov. 3 election.