SRQ airport officials investigate suspicious item

Officials and customers at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport got a scare this afternoon, as authorities investigated a potential suspicious item discovered in a piece of checked baggage.

After a baggage-screening machine made airport officials aware of the item at 12:36 p.m., authorities cleared a 300-foot radius around the machine. That led to the evacuation of a portion of the ticketing area and traffic lanes in front of the terminal building, according to Mark Stuckey, vice president of special projects and development at the airport.

“They had to take some time to identify it and make sure it wasn’t a threat,” Stuckey said.

After about an hour, SRQ authorities determined the object was not a threat, and operations at the airport have returned to normal, Stuckey said. The airport did not divulge the suspicious item in question.