Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday that moves oversight of the City of Naples Airport Authority, a special district.

The local bill (HB 4005) requires the five authority board members to be elected by county voters rather than appointed by the city council.

The first election for the board will be in November. Three members must be from Naples and two from outside the city. Terms will be for four years. However, to stagger the terms, two seats this year will offer two-year terms and three will have four-year terms.

The general aviation airport, built in 1943 as a military base, has been owned by the city since 1969, when the authority was created. The airport doesn’t have scheduled commercial services, but handled an estimated 200,000 passengers in fiscal year 2025, according to a House analysis of the bill.

Candidates for the seats must have at least five years of experience in financial management, small business operations, or the aerospace industry, according to the bill.