PARIS — While at the Florida Activation event in Paris, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two pieces of legislation aimed at enhancing Florida’s strengths in aerospace, transportation and advanced mobility innovation.
One of the bills establishes the International Aerospace Innovation Fund to leverage private investment and international collaboration within the state. It aims to drive global aerospace research, commercialization and workforce development to Florida.
The other new law makes enhancements to Florida’s transportation infrastructure. The Florida Department of Transportation listed these provisions:
- “Establishing the Florida Transportation Research Institute to provide an epicenter for Florida universities and aerospace industries to conduct high value research and innovation.”
- “Providing new funding mechanisms for projects involving spaceports and manufacturing, including infrastructure to support commercial space launch operations at any Spaceport territory in Florida.”
- “Protecting aerospace interests by preventing space-designated land at seaports from being repurposed for non-space activities. With limited real estate around Cape Canaveral, this ensures Florida’s long-term competitiveness in this industry, given that 60% of all global space launches currently launch from Florida.”
- “Establishing dedicated plans for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)—positioning Florida as a leader in next-generation aviation technologies."
- “Providing FDOT the framework to invest in the construction of vertiports, beginning with the first facility at SunTrax to support AAM research, testing and deployment.”
“Florida continues to set the national standard for economic growth, workforce development, and innovation,” DeSantis said in a Florida Department of Transportation news release. “With these bills, we are building on our state’s strong foundation to ensure that Florida remains at the forefront of aerospace and transportation advancement for decades to come.”
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