The partnerships with private entities and local colleges and universities make the county even more competitive in the rapidly growing aerospace sector .”
Karl said the county ’ s efforts to increase the aerospace industry footprint in Volusia comes as the industry is on the upswing , despite the economic issues created by the Covid-19 pandemic .
“ It ’ s very active surprisingly enough ,” he said . “ The companies that are active and pressing on are doing well .”
That includes the Daytona Beach International Airport , which just recently added new flights from carrier American Airlines . Another aviation and aerospace sector poised to grow is the commercial satellite field .
“ The satellite business is not going anywhere ,” Karl said . “ They are going to continue to put satellites in orbit like crazy .”
Karl said the commercial space industry goes well beyond the big rocket launches everybody sees from the Cape , and includes manufacturing of components for launch vehicles and satellites , maintenance and other emerging technologies .
“ The diverse and developing technologies related to commercial aerospace is what we ’ re focusing on ,” he said . “ It ’ s just mindboggling the different things that go into commercial space components .”
Clay Ervin , Volusia County director of growth and resource management , said streamlining the approval process for development of commercial aerospace companies is an important part of the overlay idea .
“ We want to make sure we capitalize on our Clay Ervin proximity to Cape Canaveral ,” he said . “ We looked at what barriers there are .”
Ervin said in many instances the timeframe from project proposal to moving dirt can be up to 120 days and being able to move quickly “ can be crucial to a developer .” Reducing that timeframe “ was our primary goal ,” he said . Ervin said the development of a competitive aerospace industry program has been a team effort among different county offices , including the office of Helga van Eckert , county economic development director .
“ Aviation is a booming industry from a manufacturing and distribution standpoint and Volusia County is ideally situated from research with Embry-Riddle and other universities as well as with the infrastructure that is in place for distribution ,” she said .
Van Eckert said there are already several aviation and aerospace companies operating in Volusia County , including parts suppliers and manufacturers . And the creation of the overlay in the southern part of the county lines up with the county ’ s economic development strategy .
“ The primary consideration for these industries are workforce and proximity to a continued pipeline of skilled labor ,” van Eckert said . “ Volusia County is ideally suited for that .”
Ervin said the partnerships with private entities and local colleges and universities make the county even more competitive in the rapidly growing aerospace sector .
“ With Embry- Riddle you have one of the top-notch universities in the nation here , that definitely gives us a leg up ,” he said .
Ervin said the Commercial Space Industry Opportunity Overlay county also enjoys
several logistical advantages beyond its proximity to KSC .
“ We are close to the Port of Jacksonville and Orlando ,” he said . “ If you are looking at sea , air or road , we are there . And we are also on the FEC railroad line . We ’ ve got the infrastructure right there and ready to go .”
Creating the conditions and local infrastructure for economic development only happens when local governmental bodies like the Volusia County Council are on board with the effort .
For County Council member Deb Denys , the decision to move forward with the overlay zone was easy .
“ When it comes to the aerospace industry , Deb Denys we ’ re living in extremely exciting times right
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