OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Space the final frontier…
On Wednesday, June 19, the Ocala-area business community heard from a leader who is helping the aerospace entrepreneurs boldly go where no man has gone before.
Robert Long is the CEO of Space Florida which is a public-private partnership that encourages economic growth by attracting and growing aerospace companies in the state.
Long was the featured speaker at the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP) monthly breakfast at the Reilly Arts Center.
The recently retired U.S. Space Force colonel has more than 25 years of experience overseeing large organizations across the aerospace sector, launch operations, mobility, logistics and spaceport operations.
“Today, Space Florida offers leading aerospace companies unrivaled experience, unmatched tools and an unbeatable location for their new initiatives,” Long told the audience. “There are any number of ways that we can work with companies in the aerospace industries.”
Long says in 2006 a unique state statute allowed for more opportunity through creative financing options and infrastructure to make aerospace ventures easier to launch.
“It’s about developing infrastructures at our spaceports. We have a master plan for all of our spaceports,” said Long. “We’ve used our tool kits to grow the infrastructure. A great example of that at the Kennedy Space Center, the old shuttle landing, the space shuttle used to land on a 15,000-foot runway complex. With the retirement of the shuttle a few years ago, Space Florida stepped in and said, ‘I think we could take on that facility,’ and we have. We’ve taken it on. It’s ours through a lease agreement with NASA.”
Long says Space Florida works with a variety of companies who build the infrastructure creating a platform for even more aerospace activity.
“When I say our tool kit, one of the key pieces is our partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation,” said Long. “Twenty years ago, the state designated space as a mode of transportation, it allows us to work on infrastructure improvements like you would on the road, rail or seaports.”
As the spaceport authority, Space Florida builds, owns, leases and operates facilities, and provides additional launch site opportunities for new space launch companies.
He says Space Florida has identified strategic locations around the state where they would like to expand the space industry.
Long says spaceport systems don’t have to be a launch site. While launch sites don’t have to be on the coast, they are located there for safety reasons. However, says other operations like logistics and manufacturing networks can be just about anywhere.
Sounds like an invitation to North Central Florida business leaders to dream about what might be possible.