The Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority (GACRAA) voted last week to finalize a contract with Ferdinand Paul Mehrlich to take over as CEO and discussed security lines and new construction projects.  

Mehrlich will start on April 13 as long-time CEO Allan Penksa works with him on a transition. He’s coming from Texarkana Regional Airport, where he’s been executive director of aviation since 2020. 

GACRAA confirmed the contract without comment at its regular meeting, and Mehrlich will need to hit the ground running as the airport preps to build a brand-new general aviation terminal and undergo apron construction. 

At Saturday’s Gator Fly-in and Armed Services Appreciation Day, Penksa told attendees that they’ll see steel struts sticking out of the ground when they visit next year. Penksa served as a judge for the best aircraft contest as he retires.  

“It’s also an honor for me to be here for my last Gator Fly-In as your GNV Airport CEO,” Penksa said. “So many great memories fill my mind over the last 23 years. Every day is an adventure in this business that I’ve been proud to be a part of.” 

Besides the general aviation terminal project, GACRAA is also moving forward with a renovation of the fuel farm on the general aviation side. The project will replace three existing 15,000-gallon fuel tanks along with piping, pumps, filters and controls. The rehab comes after finishing the installation and service of a new 30,000-gallon fuel tank. 

The board members voted unanimously to approve a bid by Scherer Construction for the project. Scherer Construction bid $1.7 million, and the airport anticipates that half of the funding will come from a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Public Transportation Grant.  

Penksa told the board that the design plans to expand the commercial apron are around 90% complete. 

Penksa also touched on the national staffing issues the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has had, as a partial government shutdown means agents are working without pay. He said TSA agents had now missed two paychecks but praised the local agents at Gainesville Regional Airport.  

Penksa said the airport’s security lines had continued as normal as agents showed up for work. He said the airport encountered no issues from absenteeism during the fall 2025 government shutdown or so far in this shutdown.  

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed at some airports to assist, but Penksa told the board that’s not expected in Gainesville. And since the meeting, an executive order would pay TSA agents as Congress continues to stall on funding.  

“We don’t expect ICE to come here because our people are showing up,” Penksa said. “They’re patriots; they know we’ve been through this a couple of times before, unfortunately.”  

The board also discussed an agreement with Uber that has yet to be signed for pickups at the airport. The contract was supposed to be an extension of the previous contract, but following delays, the ride-share company continues to operate without an agreement in place, Penksa said.  

He said he’ll continue working on a contract and hand the issue to Mehrlich, as last week was Penksa’s final board meeting.