Jacksonville Aviation Authority Board Votes Nov. 18 on 5 Goals for Its $425,000 CEO: Finances Count for 50%, a Cecil Airport Plan for 15%

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Aviation Authority board is scheduled to vote Wednesday, Nov. 18, on five performance goals for CEO Mark VanLoh in 2027, with half of his evaluation tied to the authority's finances. The authority's CEO Evaluation Committee recommended the goals at a special meeting Nov. 6, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported Nov. 9. One item on the list would grade VanLoh on a plan to market Cecil Airport on the Westside and attract business there.

The goals do not directly change VanLoh's pay, according to the Daily Record. His base salary is $425,000, and his contract calls for an annual cost-of-living adjustment equal to the greater of the Consumer Price Index or 3%. A 3% increase would bring his salary to $437,750, the newspaper reported, citing authority Chief Financial Officer Ross Jones.

The 5 goals and their weights

The committee's recommendation assigns each goal a share of the CEO's annual evaluation, and the shares add up to 100%. The Daily Record's report on the Nov. 6 meeting described them as follows. The list now goes to the full board for discussion and a vote.

The Cecil Airport plan is expected to be in place and operating by the time of VanLoh's next annual evaluation, the Daily Record reported. Cecil Airport is at 13365 Simpson Way, on the former Cecil Field property in West Jacksonville. The aviation authority took ownership of Cecil Field in 1999, according to the newspaper.

What committee members said

Committee Chair Bill Gulliford and members Fernando Acosta-Rua, Sol Brotman and Andy Hofheimer attended the Nov. 6 meeting, and member Michelle Barnett was absent, the Daily Record reported. The session was not a formal review of VanLoh's work, but members voiced support for him. Hofheimer said VanLoh had "done just a great job," according to the newspaper.

Acosta-Rua tied the goals to a busy stretch of construction at Jacksonville International Airport. "This is an important year for JAA, with the opening of the new parking facilities and concourse," he said, according to the Daily Record. He added that the goals should deliver near-term priorities while positioning all of the authority's assets, including Cecil, for long-term success.

The parking and concourse projects he mentioned are large ones. A six-level, 2,000-space daily garage built for $92 million was scheduled to open with a ribbon-cutting Nov. 10, the Daily Record reported Nov. 6. The same report said the $344 million Concourse B, with six gates for American Airlines, has a ribbon-cutting set for Jan. 27, 2027, with flights starting the next day.

A sixth goal with no weight: replacing retirees

VanLoh suggested an honorary sixth goal covering staff retirements and leadership development, the Daily Record reported. He told the committee the average retirement age at the authority is 55 and called the attrition expected over the next five years "astounding." The goal would carry no weight in his evaluation.

The CEO described a yearlong leadership program in which managers would identify promising employees and outside experts would provide training. "We are in the middle of creating a leadership program, an academy within the organization," VanLoh said, according to the newspaper. The Daily Record's report did not include an estimate of how many employees are expected to retire.

How VanLoh's pay reached $425,000

The board has revisited VanLoh's contract in each of the past two years, according to the Daily Record. In late 2024 it added the cost-of-living adjustment to a $375,000 base salary, along with a $99,750 contractual performance bonus. In late 2025 it approved a three-year contract extension and a 10% raise that set his salary at $425,000 plus the annual adjustment, and it made him eligible for a one-time bonus of up to 25%.

The authority's board has seven members, who are appointed by the mayor and the governor, according to an Oct. 15, 2025, report by The Florida Trib. The authority has said federal rules require airport revenue to be spent on airport operations, according to that report. That position has shaped its dealings with City Hall over how quickly Cecil should be developed.

Why Cecil is on the list

Cecil has been a point of friction between the authority and the City Council. The Florida Trib reported that council member Nick Howland, the council's liaison to the authority, pressed it for about two years to move faster on aerospace development at Cecil. At an Aug. 15, 2025, budget hearing, the council amended the authority's 2025-26 budget to earmark about $2.7 million for Cecil Spaceport, $500,000 for a Cecil growth study and $10 million for a hangar renovation, and the authority board unanimously passed a resolution condemning the changes, according to the Trib.

The two sides later moved toward cooperation, and the authority has laid out its own plans for the airport. Howland announced a joint council-authority committee on Cecil economic development in October 2025, the Trib reported. At a December 2025 board meeting, authority officials discussed adding restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores for Cecil's growing workforce, and the board had recently approved $600,000 for a reentry license project at Cecil Spaceport, News4Jax reported Dec. 3, 2025.

VanLoh sounded an optimistic note about Cecil at that meeting. "We're going to continue to grow," he said, according to News4Jax. The station also quoted him as saying, "It'll be a massive aviation facility for the future."

What happens next

The recommended goals go to the full board for discussion and a vote, and the next board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18, the Daily Record reported. The newspaper's report did not list a meeting time or room. The authority posts board agendas and minutes on its website, flyjacksonville.com, and residents who want to follow the vote can check there for details.