| 19 March 2010
(March 18) By Robert Block, Space Editor - Space Florida’s agenda is getting good treatment at the hands of state lawmakers and that signs are the aerospace development agency could get most of the $32.6 million Gov. Charlie Crist requested to help the state’s languishing space business.
With NASA expected to shutdown the space shuttle program later this year, Brevard County is braced for as many as 23,000 direct and indirect job losses.
Sources in the State Capital say that the Legislature has now come up with some $27 million of the $32.6 million to help Space Florida offset the looming economic disaster by retraining workers and attracting new space business to Florida.
One well-connected official says that lawmakers have found the funds and that the money is contained in various bills aimed at creating more jobs in the state this year. The money is by no means certain as there is touch completion for funds this budget year, but the signs are good so far.
Also on Thursday, the House unanimously passed a bill to give Space Florida flexibility in spending $10.8 million of already appropriated money to build a multi-user launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
In 2008, the Legislature appropriated $14.5 million to Space Florida to develop Launch Complex 36 at CCAFS to build a state-of-the-art pad that could attract commercial space companies to launch their rockets in Florida. Despite spending nearly $4 million of the money on studies, no company ever committed to use the pad.
Now the agency says there are better possibilities to drum up business to blast smaller rockets into space from another nearby site — Launch Complex 46 — but Space Florida cannot legally use any of the money for any that project.
Rep. Steve Crisafulli (R, Merritt Island),requested that the state let the agency keep the funds to use as it best sees fit.
“Giving Space Florida greater flexibility with money they already have will allow the agency to more aggressively work to attract commercial space business to our state. This legislation means jobs for Floridians,” Crisafulli said.
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