DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Spirit Airlines reported laying off more than 4,850 employees in Florida, including 551 who worked at the Spirit Support Center in Dania Beach.

“Road Closed” signs blocked the entrance way to the corporate office building that was the airline’s headquarters since April 2024 at 1731 Radiant Drive.

Marco A. Salvino, Sr., the vice mayor of Dania Beach, said Spirit Airlines contributed about $1.2 million in property taxes and utilities to Dania Beach.

“It’s a great loss to our city,” Salvino said.

Dania Pointe, a neighboring shopping mall, benefited from having the ultra-low-cost airline’s headquarters about a 5-minute walk away. Salvino hopes a new owner will step up soon.

“It will affect the restaurants,” Salvino said.

Spirit Airlines previous headquarters were at 2800 Executive Way, in the Miramar Park of Commerce.

With more than $2.5 billion in losses since 2020, the bankruptcy filings followed in 2024 and 2025, and the shutdown was on Saturday after a last-minute $500 million government bailout failed.

“We have 18,000 people that live in this country that are great people and great employees,” President Donald Trump said about Spirit Airlines employees nationwide on April 23 at the White House.

Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for blocking the $3.8 billion sale of Spirit Airlines to JetBlue in 2024.

Spirit Airlines filed the layoff notices on Monday with the FloridaCommerce, the state’s lead agency for workforce. There were more than 3,260 layoffs in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Records show the notice included 2,529 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and 181 at Miami International Airport.

The others were 796 at the Orlando International Airport, and 796 at the MCO Infight & Operations Center in Orlando.

Related document: Notice of layoff (May 2-13)

Florida Commerce on Spirit Airlines layoffs

Helpful link: Spirit Airlines launches restructuring page

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Upcoming job fairs

The Hospitality Industry Job Fair is from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday at the CareerSource Broward at 2550 West Oakland Park Boulevard. Admission and parking are free.

Miramar is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 20 at the Miramar Cultural Center, at 2400 Civic Center Place. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Evenbrite page.

The Port Everglades Career Fair & Expo is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 27 at the Broward County Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Admission and parking are free. Here is a list of the participating companies >

Resources

Department of Labor: Rapid response services includes guidance on COBRA continuation coverage
American Airlines launches “Supporting Spirit” career page
United Airlines launches program to prioritize former Spirit Airlines employees when hiring. Here is the career page >
Southwest Airlines was recruiting on this page.
JetBlue’s jobs page
JetBlue announced an extension of the “jumpseat agreement for the next two weeks, subject to space availability and limited to cabin seating” for those who were stranded while working for Spirit Airlines, and also announced “preferential employment interviews.”
Delta releases statement of help
For more information about help from the Association of Flight Attendants, call 1-800-385-3920
CareerSource Broward offers services such as job placement and career coaching at three centers at 4941 Coconut Creek Parkway, 2550 West Oakland Park Boulevard, and 7550 Davie Road Extension in Hollywood.
Employ Miami-Dade has services for job seekers.
CareerOneStop has a database for job centers
To file an unemployment benefits claim in Florida, call 1-800-204-2418 or visit this page.
Find your local food bank, on this Feeding America page

Dania Beach loses without Spirit Support Center open, vice mayor says

Spirit Airlines reports layoffs include over 550 people at headquarters

Upcoming job fairs

Resources

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Saira Anwer

Andrea Torres