Byron Donalds launches ‘Space Race’ policy rocket

Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds has a plan to “make Florida the world’s headquarters for space exploration” and ensure “every Floridian” can be a part of the mission.

“Florida is going to lead, and we are going to take the next giant leap right here in the Sunshine State,” he said.

Donalds wants to “permit at warp speed” starting in his first year as Governor, identifying 10 areas in Florida as “strategic development sites” for space manufacturing, and ensure companies get a “yes” when submitting plans.

Workforce readiness is also key, he said, with “zero-tuition training programs in conjunction with commercial companies.” Welders, machinists and construction crews are as needed as scientists, he said.

To that end, Donalds will house an Office for Space Industry within the Governor’s Office in his first year. A Space Race Summit will also be an early priority as a recruitment tool, to make it clear that “Florida is the center of the space economy.”

He will also facilitate collaboration between the state and its dedicated agency, Space Florida, with commercial and academic partners. By his second year in office, the Space Florida Academy will play a central role in this initiative.

“Florida launched the first space race, and Florida will win the next one. Every American who walked on the Moon left Earth from Florida’s coast. As Governor, I’ll fight to bring NASA headquarters home, create thousands of high-paying jobs, and ensure the next giant leap starts right here in the Sunshine State,” said Donalds, a Naples Congressman.

Additionally, he seeks to have Space Force training in the state, and to relocate NASA headquarters to the state.

All of this is intended to honor Florida’s space “legacy” by way of “asserting Florida’s rightful place” in this leg of the space race.

He noted that $1.8 trillion in economic activity is expected in the sector in the next decade, as commercial companies transform the theoretical into the practical.

There’s plenty of room for growth.

Some 165 rockets were launched from Florida in 2025, Donalds said. He expects more than 1,000 a year from the state in the coming years, assuming Florida captures and retains its “rightful share” of the market in light of increasingly robust competition nationally and globally.

“No state matches Florida’s launch record,” he said.

Careers in space exploration, he said, can help Floridians with “high-paying jobs,” providing a practical answer to some of the “affordability challenges” that have plagued the state in recent years.

Donalds has backing from one key space industry leader. Elon Musk of SpaceX was an early backer.