Politico By JACQUELINE FELDSCHER 2/7/2020
The arm of the Florida state government tasked with revitalizing its space economy is facing years of delays in acquiring excess federal land and facilities to attract new commercial customers, says Frank DiBello, the CEO of Space Florida.
The public-private partnership established in 2006 has been buying up federal land and infrastructure on Florida’s space coast since 2011, when the space shuttle program was retired and the industry contracted dramatically, and leasing it to commercial customers like Boeing or Blue Origin.
But significant delays in Washington are slowing things down, asserts DiBello, who has led Space Florida since 2009 and previously managed the aerospace business at consulting firm KPMG.
“Right now when there is federal property that is excess or could be turned over to the state for purposes of meeting the market need, we have to go through a federal process that is long and cumbersome,†DiBello said. “I would love to see that streamlined. We're pretty far down on the pecking order.â€
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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/07/space-florida-frank-dibello-q-and-a-111518
