Steve Kohler, Space Florida President and Marshall Heard, Space Florida Consultant, met with 150 business people at the Marriott Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens

PALM BEACH GARDENS - Although Florida has a well-establish infrastructure of $7 billion in aerospace assets and an additional $2 billion in assets at the proposed Jacksonville Spaceport, there is growing competition from 13 other states, including nine states with spaceports.

This is the message that Steve Kohler, President of Space Florida, carried to 150 business people who attended a meeting on December 5 at the Marriott Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens. Space Florida was created by the legislature last year to protect current aerospace employment and create new jobs.

Kohler stated that Florida has aerospace-related industry in 47 of its 67 counties, including Palm Beach, where Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne employs 1,200 people.

Up from $207 billion last year, the global space industry is expected to bring in $220 billion in revenue in 2007.

The biggest concern for Florida is what will happen to the state's 9,300 aerospace workers between the retirement of the space shuttle fleet in 2010 and launches of the next-generation shuttle in 2013 to 2015. Space Florida is focused on finding ways to bridge that gap.

Dennis Mills, Director of Strategy and Business Development for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, said the company's Cape Canaveral workforce of 150 rocket scientists and technicians isn't as exposed to job cuts as others. Mills continued that they will be involved in the engine design for the Ares 1 and 5 launch vehicles that will send astronauts on next-generation missions to the international space station, the moon and eventually Mars. Education was another major topic covered at the meeting. Mary Vreeland, Director of Choice Programs for the Palm Beach County School District, explained that the district is implementing more schools of choice that specialize in technology, math and engineering.