The Florida Department of Transportation honored the Lee County Port Authority with the 2012 Outstanding Commercial Service Airport of the Year Award for Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). The airport was presented this top award at the Florida Airports Council Annual Conference in Naples, Fla. This is the fourth time that RSW has received this prestigious honor.

“I am proud that Southwest Florida International Airport was recognized by the Florida Department of Transportation in front of our industry peers,” said Robert M. Ball, A.A.E., executive director of the Lee County Port Authority. “Our employees work hard every day to provide a world-class travel experience for the millions of passengers who visit or reside in Southwest Florida. It takes a team effort to win this award, and I thank everyone, including our airline and business partners, for making RSW an outstanding example of excellence in airport operations and customer care.”

The FDOT Aviation Office awards the Commercial Airport of the Year annually to one of 19 commercial service airports in the state of Florida. To be considered, the airport must demonstrate exceptional safety and security standards and have superior achievement in all aspects of management and customer service. Airports must successfully manage financial resources, have adequate and current master plans and knowledge of and compliance with state and federal rules and regulations.

Southwest Florida International Airport served more than 7.5 million passengers in 2011 and is one of the top 50 U.S. airports for passenger traffic. No ad valorem (property) taxes are used for airport operation or construction. For more information, log onto www.flylcpa.com.