CS/HB 59 — Spaceport Territory
by Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee; and Rep. Ray and others (CS/SB 110 by Community Affairs Committee and Senators Wise and Gibson)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Military Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee (MS)
In July 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized use of Cecil Field Spaceport in Jacksonville for horizontal take-offs and landings of suborbital launch vehicles. In response to the FAA’s authorization for Cecil Field Spaceport, the bill amends s. 331.304, F.S., to designate the property within the boundaries of Cecil Airport and Cecil Commerce Center in Jacksonville as a spaceport territory. The bill also permits the board of directors of Space Florida to designate future real property within the state as a spaceport territory if the property has been licensed by the FAA to operate as a spaceport.
The designation of Cecil Field Spaceport and other future spaceports as spaceport territories will allow for those spaceport territories to be included in Space Florida’s master planning efforts, making them eligible for state funds for road or other infrastructure improvements. The provisions in the bill intend to aid Space Florida in attracting different types of commercial space companies and competing for spaceflight businesses.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2012.
Vote: Senate 30-0; House 112-0