Florida Today reports Monday that the state of Florida is considering merging several of its space-related organizations into a single entity dubbed “Space Florida”. These organizations include the Florida Space Authority, Florida Space Research Institute, and the Florida Aerospace Finance Corp., which would continue as departments within Space Florida. This move was not unexpected, since there had been concerns raised for months that there was a need for a single state space agency to provide “one-stop shopping” for people interested in doing space business in the state. This concept may have gained additional urgency with the latest developments in New Mexico; the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes in an editorial Monday that the state needs to take several steps to retain its leadership in space, recommending that “once a state task force on commercial space ventures issues recommendations next month, lawmakers ought to quickly adopt ideas that make sense strategically and financially.”
