thelakelander
07-11-2006, 06:50 AM
By J. TAYLOR RUSHING
Capital Bureau Chief
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush inaugurated a new state space agency on Monday by charging it with the primary mission of procuring a commercial spaceport in Florida -- with Jacksonville's Cecil Field still on the table as a prime potential site.
Bush chaired the first board meeting of Space Florida, created by legislators this spring to consolidate Florida's varied space-related boards and commissions into a single entity. The 20-member board has been tasked with recruiting and developing aerospace businesses, enhancing commercial development at Cape Canaveral and promoting space-related education.
But Bush said the primary prize is a spaceport, an idea he gleaned from a staff analyst when he was state commerce secretary in 1987.
"Fast forward to 2006, and we still need to do it," Bush said. "It's an essential part of what we need to be working on."
Commercial spaceports -- an emerging market for wealthy tourists that is being pursued by several states -- use vehicles that ride on jets and require long runways to take off. Although Cape Canaveral holds Florida's only federal launch license, federal restrictions on commercial launches are stifling the state's effort to recruit commercial space business there. Officials want to broaden the industry beyond Cape Canaveral because it represents about $4.5 billion to the state economy and provides 29,000 high-paying jobs. In January, state leaders embraced a report that endorsed that approach.
The prospect of Cecil Field as a spaceport site emerged last year and has never faded. A consultant has said Cecil seems the best alternative to Cape Canaveral because its 12,500-foot runway seems ideal.
On Monday, Bush said Cecil remains a top candidate -- although not the only one -- despite the city's efforts to develop it into a business park and a new referendum drive supporting its use as a major Navy jet base. The governor said a spaceport could co-exist with either of those possibilities because it may not require much land, although the idea of a jet base should take precedence.
"The spaceport idea is one that can mean a full-blown, fully secured launch site, or it can mean a landing strip," Bush said. "The Navy base would have 12,000 jobs, and its direct impacts would enhance rather than detract from other private sector investment as well."
Bush also dismissed the concern from some civic officials that the continuing uncertainty over the future of Cecil Field is hurting the city's efforts to recruit businesses there, saying the city does not seem to have any problems bringing businesses.
"Frankly, I just don't see it as a zero-sum game," he said. "In a place as big as Northeast Florida, I think we can make the necessary accommodations to grow in a responsible way."
Ken Underwood, a co-founder and registered agent for Vote Jacksonville, the group pushing for a September referendum on the idea of the jet base, said he agreed with Bush that a spaceport could co-exist with other developments, even a jet base.
"A dual-use site is not a hard sell to the Department of Defense," Underwood said. "I think they'd be all over that. Once they learn they wouldn't have to take care of the whole area, it would start smelling to them like they're going to be saving money."
But Jerry Mallot, executive vice president of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the city is making progress in attracting businesses to Cecil Field precisely because its future has already been decided by Mayor John Peyton and the City Council. Peyton announced in October that the city is pursuing a business park at the site, and reiterated that again this summer.
"The decision has been made, and we're well down the path," Mallot said. "Companies have full confidence that the decision was firm and commercial development is the future of Cecil."
Peyton spokeswoman Susie Wiles said the mayor agrees with Bush that a spaceport should be able to co-exist with current and future businesses at the site.
"We're certainly interested in pursuing the idea, at least," Wiles said.
Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, whose district includes the Westside site, said a spaceport remains a favorite option of his because the city couldn't absorb the costs of relocating businesses that would be displaced by a new jet base.
"A spaceport would be a pretty viable thing, absolutely very preferable to a base," Wise said.
jt.rushingjacksonville.com, (850) 224-7515, ext. 11
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071106/met_22302753.shtml.
Capital Bureau Chief
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush inaugurated a new state space agency on Monday by charging it with the primary mission of procuring a commercial spaceport in Florida -- with Jacksonville's Cecil Field still on the table as a prime potential site.
Bush chaired the first board meeting of Space Florida, created by legislators this spring to consolidate Florida's varied space-related boards and commissions into a single entity. The 20-member board has been tasked with recruiting and developing aerospace businesses, enhancing commercial development at Cape Canaveral and promoting space-related education.
But Bush said the primary prize is a spaceport, an idea he gleaned from a staff analyst when he was state commerce secretary in 1987.
"Fast forward to 2006, and we still need to do it," Bush said. "It's an essential part of what we need to be working on."
Commercial spaceports -- an emerging market for wealthy tourists that is being pursued by several states -- use vehicles that ride on jets and require long runways to take off. Although Cape Canaveral holds Florida's only federal launch license, federal restrictions on commercial launches are stifling the state's effort to recruit commercial space business there. Officials want to broaden the industry beyond Cape Canaveral because it represents about $4.5 billion to the state economy and provides 29,000 high-paying jobs. In January, state leaders embraced a report that endorsed that approach.
The prospect of Cecil Field as a spaceport site emerged last year and has never faded. A consultant has said Cecil seems the best alternative to Cape Canaveral because its 12,500-foot runway seems ideal.
On Monday, Bush said Cecil remains a top candidate -- although not the only one -- despite the city's efforts to develop it into a business park and a new referendum drive supporting its use as a major Navy jet base. The governor said a spaceport could co-exist with either of those possibilities because it may not require much land, although the idea of a jet base should take precedence.
"The spaceport idea is one that can mean a full-blown, fully secured launch site, or it can mean a landing strip," Bush said. "The Navy base would have 12,000 jobs, and its direct impacts would enhance rather than detract from other private sector investment as well."
Bush also dismissed the concern from some civic officials that the continuing uncertainty over the future of Cecil Field is hurting the city's efforts to recruit businesses there, saying the city does not seem to have any problems bringing businesses.
"Frankly, I just don't see it as a zero-sum game," he said. "In a place as big as Northeast Florida, I think we can make the necessary accommodations to grow in a responsible way."
Ken Underwood, a co-founder and registered agent for Vote Jacksonville, the group pushing for a September referendum on the idea of the jet base, said he agreed with Bush that a spaceport could co-exist with other developments, even a jet base.
"A dual-use site is not a hard sell to the Department of Defense," Underwood said. "I think they'd be all over that. Once they learn they wouldn't have to take care of the whole area, it would start smelling to them like they're going to be saving money."
But Jerry Mallot, executive vice president of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the city is making progress in attracting businesses to Cecil Field precisely because its future has already been decided by Mayor John Peyton and the City Council. Peyton announced in October that the city is pursuing a business park at the site, and reiterated that again this summer.
"The decision has been made, and we're well down the path," Mallot said. "Companies have full confidence that the decision was firm and commercial development is the future of Cecil."
Peyton spokeswoman Susie Wiles said the mayor agrees with Bush that a spaceport should be able to co-exist with current and future businesses at the site.
"We're certainly interested in pursuing the idea, at least," Wiles said.
Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, whose district includes the Westside site, said a spaceport remains a favorite option of his because the city couldn't absorb the costs of relocating businesses that would be displaced by a new jet base.
"A spaceport would be a pretty viable thing, absolutely very preferable to a base," Wise said.
jt.rushingjacksonville.com, (850) 224-7515, ext. 11
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071106/met_22302753.shtml.