Planners will submit site proposals to the Federal Aviation Authority by year end. The FAA makes the final site selection because it is paying for 90% of the project's construction costs. The Florida Department of Transportation pays 5%. Local governments pay the remaining 5%.

A second two-year study kicks in after the FAA selects the site. The dirt alone could wind up costing the West Orange Airport Authority about $13 million ($1 per sf), local industrial appraisers familiar with the South Lake County market tell GlobeSt.com. The industrial park's size and cost is still being determined.

Unabated demand by growing populations in Orlando's western suburbs is pressuring local officials to find a new airport site that would accommodate spillover business from airports in Orlando, Kissimmee, FL and Leesburg, FL, 45 miles northwest of Downtown Orlando.