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WHAT: On May 14, 2020, the United States Air Force announced an open bidding process to select the future location of U.S. Space Command Headquarters (USSPACECOM). Established in December 2019, USSPACECOM is designed to focus on defending U.S. interests in Space. Provisional headquarters are located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with plans to move to a permanent location in the next five years.
With the endorsement of Governor Ron DeSantis, Miami-Dade County is one of eight qualified communities in the State of Florida selected for the Basing Evaluation Phase of the bidding process for USSPACECOM’s permanent headquarters.
WHO: Miami-Dade County Key Stakeholders
- Miami-Dade Beacon Council developed and submitted the proposal in close partnership with the Office of Mayor – Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, Miami-Dade County Military Affairs Board (MAB) and Space Florida.
- Additional support was provided by the Homestead Air Reserve Base, US Southern Command, Enterprise Florida, GTOPS Consulting, South Florida Defense Alliance, Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, Palm Beach Business Development Board, Florida Power & Light, South Dade EDC, South Dade Chamber of Commerce, Miami International Airport, and the Miami Realtors Association.
WHY:
- Miami-Dade has a strong tradition of supporting military installations including USSOUTHCOM, Homestead Air Reserve Base, and SOCSOUTH.
- South Florida’s tri-county area – the largest and most economically prosperous region of the state –boasts nearly half of all aerospace-related companies in the State of Florida. The region’s large concentration of space, aerospace, and industry-related businesses, workers, and educational programs provide the resources and talent pool required to support USSPACECOM’s success.
- Space functions go beyond the traditional aerospace industries, and the future of space-related activities will rely heavily on technology, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and virtual/augmented reality capabilities. The South Florida region is home to over 5,300 cutting-edge technology companies, representing the largest concentration of technology companies in Florida.
- On the cutting edge of strategic space-related activities, USSPACECOM is expected to generate 1,400 new military and civilian jobs. Headquarters will serve as an operations and management center, with no immediate plans to use the location for vertical or horizontal space launches.
WHERE: Miami-Dade County proposed locating USSPACECOM on a site at the Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB).
Communities were only permitted to submit one site and Miami-Dade County chose the most competitive location that best fit the site criteria requirements. The Air Force requested sites be able to accommodate the building footprint, the communication transmissions, electrical capacity, and infrastructure for a military installation, as well as the influx of personnel. These site-specific criteria underscored the need for a potential site to be secure, one that could handle USSPACECOM’s redundant communication/electrical needs along with the other robust infrastructure and security requirements needed for a military installation.
WHEN: The Air Force expects to complete this Basing Evaluation Phase over the next several months, with a decision for Candidate Site Locations announced following the November 2020 elections.
The Air Force is expected to visit Candidate Site Locations in November-December 2020, with a final location for USSPACECOM announced in January 2021. USSPACECOM expects the location to become active in the next 5 years.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: To learn more about Miami-Dade County being nominated as a potential site for headquarters of the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), read full release here:https://www.beaconcouncil.com/miami-dade-county-among-nominees-for-us-space-force-command-headquarters/
**Please direct all Media Inquiries to Tere Garcia, Communications Manager, Miami-Dade Beacon Council**
About the Miami‐Dade Beacon Council
Miami‐Dade Beacon Council is the official economic development organization for Miami‐Dade County. Its mission is to increase jobs and investment through marketing Miami as a world-class business destination; helping grow local companies; and shaping Miami-Dade’s economic future. Since 1985, the organization has assisted more than 1,200 businesses to expand in or relocate to Miami-Dade creating over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs combined and driving more than $6.6 billion in new capital investments. A professional staff and volunteer community leaders work together to promote Miami-Dade as a world‐class 21st century community at the forefront of a changing global economy. For more information: www.beaconcouncil.com.
