Home    Disclosure  

In 1936, the Boca Raton Airport was a small City Airport. With America entering into World War II, the Army Air Corp suddenly underwent rapid expansion. The mild winter climate and the flat terrain of South Florida marked the areas as ideal for flying and aviation training. Thus, three major air bases, Homestead, Morrison Field in West Palm Beach, and Boca Raton were developed in the first years of the war.

The decision to locate the base at Boca Raton was made because of the already existing city airfield and the land which was available for its expansion. Much of the land belonged to Japanese-American farmers who had settled in the area after the Yamato Colony had been abandoned. The land was acquired from the farmers through the process of condemnation.

Construction of the base began in June 1942 and continued to expand during the war. Its boundaries included 5,860 acres and stretched from Dixie Highway on the East to Military Trail on the West and from the current Spanish River Blvd. On the North to Palmetto Park Road to some point on the South. Areas like Old Floresta remained in private hands and many of the houses in the subdivision were rented to air force officers and their families.

While the Boca Raton field served as a base for air-sea patrol on the look-out for enemy submarines, and a weigh station for planes being ferried to Europe by the Southern American-African route, its principal mission was as a radar training facility.

As the Army Air Force’s only radar training station during World War II, the Boca Raton base grew to eight hundred buildings with a troop strength of more than 16,000. Over nine million dollars was spent constructing the facility and an average of 1,200 civilians worked on the base. Instruction courses for airborne radar operators, mechanics and electronic officers meant an ever increasing need for flight training and for aircraft.

By 1945, one hundred planes were regularly assigned to the field. Although most were medium bombers like the B-17, in the last year of the war the B-29 was brought in for training procedures in radar bombing. B-29’s carried the atomic bombs which were dropped on Japan.

Life at the Boca Raton base was almost completely self-contained. In fact, the citizens of Boca Raton soon came to be dependent upon the base’s recreational, entertainment, and medical facilities.

Once the war ended the radar training for both American and allied troops continued at Boca Raton but the numbers in the program constantly declined. In 1947, the decision was made to transfer operations of the training facility. The move was hastened by a hurricane that hit the base and caused an estimated three million dollars in damage.

In December 29, 1948 control of the Boca Raton Airport was transferred through a Quitclaim Deed from the United States of America, by and through the War Assets Administration (Grantor), to the Town of Boca Raton (Grantee).

A provision in the deed provided that the Land, Buildings, Structures, and Improvements transferred shall be used for public airport purposes for the use and benefit of the public, on reasonable terms and without unjust discrimination.

In the 1950’s the Federal Government released 1,000 acres of the property for educational use (Florida Atlantic University) and transferred control of all the land to the State of Florida. Only 200 acres were left for airport use. Control of the 200 acre airport then passed through five different government agencies before the Boca Raton Airport Authority was developed to take control of the Airport.

On October 27, 1983 (Lease Agreement No. 3265) the Land Lease became effective from the State of Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust fund to the Boca Raton Airport Authority until midnight January 22, 2073.

The Boca Raton Airport is publicly-owned and is designated as a general aviation transport facility governed by a seven member Authority appointed by the City of Boca Raton and Palm Beach County Commission. The airport is managed by Ken A. Day and a staff of five.