Airglades International Airport

Fifteen years of talk and promises, and no cargo airport to show for it. That's the reality in Hendry County, where people have heard great expectations for Airglades airfield, a few miles west of Clewiston. An investment group sees a place with lots of jobs, flying in produce and flowers from Central and South America. But where do these high-flying dreams stand?

One of Florida’s poorest counties is preparing for the new “Airglades” airport, a $300 million cargo hub that could transform its economy.Local leaders see the project as a generational opportunity, one that could bring more than 1,400 new, high-skilled jobs to their largely agricultural community at the edge of the Everglades. But to make good on its promise, the region’s educators will have to overcome some harsh realities.

Karen Moore, publisher of Southwest Florida Business Today, interviewed Airglades International Airport Director Lillie Rentz to hear the status of the project, as well as expected impact for Hendry County and our region.