Republican Byron Donalds says Florida will grow its space sector tremendously if he’s elected Governor. And he doesn’t think any other states will be able to compete.
“We now are in a position because of what’s happening in the space sector where now commercial space is becoming viable,” Donalds said.
He noted that Florida has an edge over other states when it comes to launching satellites. That offers advantages even before the fact that, as home to Kennedy Space Center, Florida has already played a long role in America’s space race.
“Start looking at companies not just launching from Kennedy Space Center, but actually manufacturing their rockets in Florida — North Florida in particular,” Donalds said. “It is really ripe for a lot of development, where you can bring some of those manufacturing jobs into our state.”
Donalds made the remarks at the Rescuing the American Dream summit in Washington, where he sat alongside a fellow Naples Republican, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.
When Scott served as Florida’s Governor, he recruited companies across the country to relocate to Florida. Donalds signaled he will pursue similar goals.
U.S. Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Jon Husted of Ohio also participated in the event, where all touted the recent growth in Republican-led states at the expense of blue states. While all touted tax environments and logistical proximity to consumers, Donalds said Florida has some advantages for specific sectors, like finance, that won’t be found in other places.
He noted that much of the financial world has moved out of Chicago and New York to relocate to Miami. Donalds said cryptocurrency, digital assets and fintech all have a natural home in Florida now.
“New York has missed the plot. Chicago lost the plot,” Donalds said. “So what you’re going to see on a continuous basis is some of these finance corporate leaders are going to say, ‘I can’t stay here. My people can’t stay here. I don’t feel safe.’ And they’re very concerned about the cultural aspects of New York and Chicago. Florida is a natural place to go.”
