FAA reconsidering heliport closure after Rokita’s intervention

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22 thoughts on “FAA reconsidering heliport closure after Rokita’s intervention

  1. I dont think Rokita has ever read what the Attorney General is responsible for. His nose is everywhere even where not needed.
    How many flights daily from this facility? Is there truly a need?? Stay out of the progress planned for Indianapolis and take care of state business. Just playing politics for future run for office. Ridiculous!!

  2. We have a facility that a rich businessman and Governor Braun uses occasionally and now the AG steps in and halts the sale because evil democrats approved it. The main user, IU Health has admitted it’s no big deal and relocated their base of operations away from this facility.

    I will say as a downtown resident since before the heliport was built, it is a huge source of noise pollution in the form of low flying helicopters in general (which happens near a heliport). Those low flying helicopters are less a less frequent in the last 10 years, so even I can tell this facility is under utilized. If this facility really provided any big economic benefit to the city, the mayor would be fighting to keep this in place, but guess what? It doesn’t and he’s not. What we have is one politically motivated attention seeker and one rich businessman complaining. I suspect that rich businessman has made generous “donations” to that now noisy politician.

  3. The city can simply match or exceed the offer. This is a waste of time, and it ultimately is not going to go anywhere, but it gives Rokita an opportunity to grandstand (and demonstrate what an embarrassment he is).

    He should focus on doing his job and avoiding any further legal ethics violations, which he seems to have trouble with despite being the state Attorney General.

  4. Anyone think Rokita stands to benefit from this monetarily should Surack get his wish for the heliport to remain open? Something doesn’t smell right, as is often the case when Todd Rokita is involved.

  5. Ok Surack and the Indy Eleven owner are friends and when the Eleven Park development as well as securing a soccer team fell through we seen rich spoiled brats complain. Now Surack wants to stop the city from moving on with its plans to develop a soccer stadium and bring a team without his friend. Downtown residents should be protesting Surack for interfering with the quality of life of residents of this city. He’s a Ft Wayne native and should have no say in what’s best in Marion county. He’s not even an elected official

    1. How about: Surack builds a private heliport on the former Diamond Chain site that his buddy Ersal already owns?

    2. Surack is part owner of the Indy Eleven and you can see how much that infusion of capital has helped the dying Indy Eleven franchise or Eleven Park

      How about this … how about all the legislators who are worried about the Marion County Prosecutor “not enforcing laws” worry instead about the state attorney general who behaves as though his personal opinion is the law, and who also believes that state laws and the professional conduct standards for attorneys don’t apply to him either?

  6. Rich men are holding Indianapolis hostage because they are so inconvenienced as to not be able to take their private helicopters into Downtown and land them next to people’s apartments.

    Oh no, Mike Braun might have to actually suffer on I-65 like the rest of us instead of being an elitist trash bag.

  7. I thought this was settled, now the state’s AG is getting involved in this? I really need to see the job description of Indiana Attorney General. This is a city of Indianapolis decision that will hopefully lead to a new soccer stadium and MLS team. The downtown heliport USED to be relevant, now it is a little-used (if at all) concrete dinosaur. The tv station helicopters, IMPD choppers, and IU Health aircraft are no more. The only real traffic it gets is Race Day, carrying a handful of folks with the cash back and forth from the Speedway. Good Lord….move on! This is comedic, but who’s laughing?

    1. No. From the linked story about Surack’s offer:

      “ The city exercised its option in August to finalize a purchase of the property—first secured in 2024, through the memorandum’s terms—leading the authority to take a formal vote this month to close the sale.”

      If Surack wanted to buy the property, a sale which has been in motion for years, why did he wait until after the city exercised their option? What’s his excuse for letting a deal get this far along if it means so much to him?

  8. Surack owns Sweet Helicopters. Sweet Helicopters are the Official Helicopter for the Indianapolis 500. So every year on race weekend, he has hundreds of flights in and out of here for people attending the race. It’s not just personal travel. He also flies dignitaries and artists in and out for occasions as well. I also thought this was a backup for IU Health when their helipads are full.

    1. Who cares? It’s a desire for a few rich people, not a need for the entire city. IU-Health is building their own dedicated facility at the Indianapolis Regional Airport, it’s a non-issue. The heliport is by no extent necessary or critical for Downtown operations.

    2. We should not allow the whims of convenience for rich travelers to limit the growth and opportunity of our city. Beyond the soccer stadium, the heliport makes development in the area height and design restricted and saturated the neighborhood with unavoidable noise at all hours.

  9. The Indiana Attorney General serves as the state’s chief legal officer, representing Indiana in court, defending state agencies and officials, issuing legal opinions, and handling consumer protection, Medicaid fraud, and unclaimed property. Elected to four-year terms, they also manage criminal appeals, civil suits, and charitable trusts.

    Core Responsibilities
    Legal Counsel & Defense: Acts as the chief legal advisor to state officials, boards, and agencies. They defend the state and its employees in federal and state courts.
    Litigation: Institutes civil suits on behalf of the state and represents state interests.
    Criminal Appeals & Prosecution: Handles criminal appeals and has concurrent jurisdiction with local prosecutors in specific criminal cases.
    Consumer Protection: Investigates complaints, mediates disputes, and takes legal action against businesses violating deceptive sales acts.
    Advisory Opinions: Issues formal legal opinions on constitutional or legal questions for state officials.
    Medicaid Fraud Control: Investigates fraud by healthcare providers within the state’s Medicaid program.
    Charitable Trusts: Represents the public interest in matters concerning charitable trusts and solicitations.
    Unclaimed Property: Manages the return of unclaimed financial assets to rightful owners.

    In this matter, Rokita is clearly meddling in a matter that is not appropriate per the responsibilities of his office.

    1. You’re right but the campaign check must have cleared so he has his marching orders; regular Hoosiers be damned.

  10. Maybe when it was built it was an asset but today the heliport is just a nuisance to the businesses and residents that live there. I know many locals in the neighborhood that see it as a detriment to the community. I don’t know a single person that thinks it’s an asset. It’s sad that our state leadership seems to want to represent a few elites rather than the people.

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