Cleetus McFarland Buys Myakka City Air Strip

MYAKKA CITY — On Thursday, YouTube star and Freedom Factory owner Cleetus McFarland announced that he bought a private airport in Manatee County.

"The property I'm showing you today is the ultimate slice of aviation heaven, a private airstrip on 50 acres of beautiful Florida land," McFarland said in the video, in which he gave followers a tour of the FAA-recognized grass airstrip.

McFarland (real name Garrett Mitchell) purchased the defunct Desoto Speedway in 2020, renaming it the Freedom Factory. The race track serves as the host site for his YouTube videos on a channel that has more than 3.5 million subscribers.

In the video, he said he plans to honor the airport's history, which has operated as "Myakka Head Air Strip" since it was developed nearly four decades ago, by modifying the name to the "Myakka Head Bald Eagle Air Field."

McFarland said he plans to build a home adjacent to the strip along with a custom hangar.