Oct. 3--Bob Bielek, former interim director of the Broward County Aviation Department, has resigned.
Bielek's last day at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is Friday. He is going to work for a transportation consulting firm outside of Florida that doesn't have contracts with the Fort Lauderdale airport. Bielek declined to be specific about the firm to avoid preempting an industry announcement.
"They are going to pay me a whole lot more money," he said, when asked why he is leaving.
Bielek held the top job at the airport in June when county commissioners made the controversial decision to expand the south runway in 2012 to accommodate more airplanes.
Bielek joined the aviation department as the deputy director in 2005 and was promoted to interim director in late 2006 after director Tom Jargiello resigned. County Administrator Pam Brangaccio rejected Bielek for the permanent job. Many County commissioners had indicated that they weren't happy with operations at the airport -- a signal that they wanted fresh blood at the top.
In August, commissioners hired Kent G. George, director of the Pittsburgh International Airport. George will start in Broward later this month.
Bielek served as the interim director until earlier this summer when county administrators took over that role. The past couple of months another aviation official, Walt Houghton, has served as the interim director.
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