Regional air traffic control towers across the county are getting more time to stay open, according to the US Transportation Department.

Originally 149 towers for small airports across the country were scheduled to close June 15 to accomodate automatic spending cuts for the Federal Aviation Administration.

But then Congress passed a bill last month providing more money for towers. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says there's enough money to keep the towers open through Sept. 30, which is the end of the budget year.

 In Florida, those towers include:

  • Naples Tower
  • Boca Raton Tower
  • New Smyrna Beach Municipal
  • Page Field, Fort Myers
  • North Perry, Hollywood
  • Lakeland Linder Regional, Lakeland
  • Leesburg
  • Ocala International Jim Taylor Field, Ocala
  • Ormond Beach Municipal, Ormond Beach
  • Punta Gouda
  • Northeast Florida Run, St. Augustine
  • Albert Whitted, St. Petersburg
  • Witham Field, Stuart

The towers are operated by contractors for the FAA at low-traffic airports.