The Florida Senate

331.367  Spaceport Management Council.--

(1)  The Spaceport Management Council is created within the Florida Space Authority to provide coordination between government agencies and commercial operators for the purpose of developing recommendations on projects and activities to increase the operability and capabilities of Florida's space launch facilities, increase statewide space-related industry and opportunities, and promote space education, research, and technology development. The council shall work to create integrated facility and programmatic development plans to address commercial, state, and federal requirements and to identify appropriate private, state, and federal resources to implement these plans.

(2)  The council shall make recommendations regarding:

(a)  The development of a spaceport master plan.

(b)  The projects and levels of commercial financing required from the Florida Aerospace Finance Corporation created by s. 331.407

(c)  Development and expansion of space-related education and research facilities and programs within Florida in consultation with the Florida Space Research Institute, including recommendations to be provided to the State University System, the Division of Community Colleges, and the Department of Education.

(d)  The regulation of spaceports and federal and state policy.

(e)  Appropriate levels of governmental and private funding for sustainable space development.

(3)  The council shall submit its recommendations to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor and provide copies to the Secretary of Transportation, the director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development, the associate administrator for Space Transportation in the United States Department of Transportation, the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Plans and Policy, and the ex officio nonvoting council members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(4)(a)  The council shall be composed of an executive board consisting of representatives of governmental organizations having responsibilities for developing or operating space transportation facilities, and a Space Industry Committee consisting of representatives of Florida's space industry.

(b)  The executive board consists of the following individuals or their designees:

1.  The executive director of the Florida Space Authority.

2.  The Secretary of Transportation.

3.  The president of Enterprise Florida, Inc., as an ex officio nonvoting member.

4.  The director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development.

(c)1.  Participation by the federal agencies having space-related missions in the state will contribute to council effectiveness, and the following installation heads or their designees may serve as official liaisons to the council: the director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, the Commander of the 45th Space Wing, and the Commander of the Naval Ordnance Test Unit.

2.  Federal liaison officials may attend and participate in council meetings and deliberations, provide federal-agency views on issues before the council, and present issues of concern and make recommendations to the council.

3.  The role of federal liaison officials is limited by federal statutes and other constraints, but the determination of this limitation is a federal function.

4.  The fiduciary responsibility of the official liaisons shall remain at all times with their respective agencies.

5.  To the extent that the advice or recommendations of the official liaisons are not adopted or incorporated into the final recommendations of the council, the official liaisons may append to such final recommendations their advice, recommendations, or opinions.

(5)  The executive board shall adopt bylaws governing the manner in which the business of the council shall be conducted. The bylaws shall specify the procedure by which the chairperson of the council is elected.

(6)  The council shall provide infrastructure and program requirements and develop other information to be utilized in a 5-year spaceport master plan. The council shall define goals and objectives concerning the development of spaceport facilities and an intermodal transportation system consistent with the goals of the Florida Transportation Plan developed pursuant to s. 339.155

(7)  The council shall provide requirements and other information to be utilized in the development of a 5-year Spaceport Economic Development Plan, defining the goals and objectives of the council concerning the development of facilities for space manufacturing, research, technology development, and education.

(8)  The council shall meet at the call of its chair, at the request of two or more members of the executive board, or at such times as may be prescribed in its bylaws. However, the council must meet at least semiannually. A majority vote of the voting members present is sufficient for any action of the council, unless the bylaws of the council require a greater vote for a particular action.

History.--s. 19, ch. 99-256; s. 18, ch. 2002-183; s. 30, ch. 2003-286.