TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s main airport has a new leader. 

Tampa International Airport’s new CEO, Michael Stephens, has been on the job for about five weeks now after being selected for the position back in November.

He took over as CEO in April.

What You Need To Know

  • Michael Stephens is the new CEO at Tampa International Airport

  • He was selected by the Aviation Authority in November 2024, and officially began his tenure in April 2025

  • He joined the authority as general counsel in 2015, but began his aviation career as a teenager when he became an air traffic controller

Being in the main terminal is like a second home for him.

“This is where all the action happens,” Stephens said. “So, it’s very important to be up here where you can kind of just see what’s going on.”

And right now, there’s a lot going on, but it’s nothing this military vet can’t handle.

Stephens is from Ohio but lived most of his life in Daytona Beach. He hadn’t flown in a plane until he was 18.

“The first kind of time I thought about aviation as a career was from the movie Top Gun,” Stephens said.

That movie made such an impression that he joined the Air Force and eventually became an air traffic controller.

For years, he served as the Aviation Authority’s general counsel, but now, he’s the head of Tampa International and aspires to make improvements to an already popular airport.

“We have to figure out how to connect people within this region,” Stephens said. “And that’s going to allow this airport to grow as well.”

Some are already in progress, like Airside D, which broke ground in December and is expected to open in 2028.

With Tampa Bay’s population consistently growing, this added airside will contribute to being able to serve up to 35 million passengers a year by 2037.

While you can see that progress currently, there are some things that are still in early stages, like trying to get more transit options to and from the airport.

“How do you continue to meet the moment of the future?” Stephens asked. “You know, we have more passengers coming through here, different generations of folks. My focus is going to be along with this team, how do we elevate the passenger experience?”

Whether it’s through pictures with Phoebe the flamingo, or easier access to downtown Tampa, his dreams are massive, but his drive is unwavering to connect this community even further.

With each interaction with a traveler or a worker, it sets this new CEO on a path he’s yet to pave, but each decision, whether in the main terminal or at a desk, will help lay that foundation.

Along with wanting to add more transportation options at Tampa International, Stephens is excited for current projects happening, like adding express curbs to the red side of the airport and adding other modern touches to the facility to make travel to and from Tampa a little easier.