With a unanimous vote, the city council of Jacksonville, Fla., last week overturned its ban on working on airplanes in residential areas. Milford Shirley, president of the local EAA chapter, said he was “absolutely happy” with the decision. The EAA chapter had been fighting the ban since it was imposed over a year ago, after some neighbors complained that a homebuilder was keeping an airplane in his driveway. “We can imagine the outcry from the public if Jacksonville passed a rule saying residents could not work on automobiles, boats or motorcycles at the their own homes,” Earl Lawrence, EAA’s vice president of industry and regulatory affairs, said at the time. It took some patience and a lobbying effort, but the city apparently came to see things EAA’s way. The council voted 15 to 0 to overturn the ordinance.
Shirley said he will work with the council to rewrite the local zoning laws to specifically protect aviation as well as other recreation and hobbies, he said. “We will do our best to stay vigilant to participate in the discussion,” he said.
