It's not rocket science - OK, maybe it is

Count Bernie McShea, vice president of business development for Space Florida, as the special district's chief cheerleader.

Space Florida's mission is to foster the growth and development of the state's space industry, and not just on Florida's east coast. Hillsborough County, for one, has 126 businesses engaged in the space industry with 3,319 employees receiving $221,895,000 in total wages.

The entity can issue revenue bonds, assessment bonds or other debt to finance its Spaceport Master Plan. It exercises most of the powers of a local government within its territory.

The organization, however, according to McShea in a recent speech in Tampa, operates at a bit of a disadvantage compared to a number of other spaceport operations of which there are about 40.

Florida, says McShea, is one of just 10 states without a research and development tax credit, which McShea argues is “a no-brainer” and “really a must-have” given, he adds, that the space industry is an export sector by definition.

McShea is also quick to point out that the average annual wage for a space industry employee is nearly double that of all industries: $89,999 versus $45,371. Dare we say that adding the R&D credit to Florida's economic development toolbox is not rocket science?