North Brevard Economic Development Zone Provides Quarterly Review of Business Activities

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – North Brevard Economic Development Zone gives a quarterly review of business news in Mims, Port St. John, Scottsmoor and Titusville, Florida.

Located in coastal east central Florida, North Brevard is home to NASA’s famed Kennedy Space Center, and  to world-class firms such as Boeing, Barn Light Electric, Blue Origin, VectorWorks, OneWeb Satellites, and  Gold Tones Musical Instruments.

All Points Logistics, a technical services and aerospace technology firm, has announced plans to build  a new 260,000 sq. ft. spacecraft processing center and a 270,000 sq. ft. logistics center on a sixty-acre  parcel at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in north Brevard County; the complex is expected to take  eighteen months to construct, following completion of engineering and architectural plans. The  project is expected to cost more than $100 million.

The spacecraft processing center will feature  several high manufacturing bays, to handle large spacecraft and fairings, some of which have a  diameter of 32 feet (10 meters). [Payload fairings are the coverings that protect a spacecraft against  the aerodynamic, thermal, and acoustic phenomena forces that act upon it during boost phase.] At  present, there is a strong need for these larger bays to accommodate the processing of bulkier  satellites and spacecraft.  

According to the company’s Vice-President of Business Development, Kevin Brown, the new complex  will service the needs of NASA and the U.S. Space Force, along with other commercial aerospace  companies. Both facilities will have the capacity to host workers from aerospace firms outside Kennedy  Space Center and the Central Florida region, as crews from those companies prepare spacecraft and  satellites for launch. Once fully operational, the two facilities are likely to employ 200 people.  

To learn more about the company, visit AllPointsLLC.com.  

Amazon continues construction work on its new assembly facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center,  which will serve as final processing and launch preparation center for its Kuiper satellite system; the  project is anticipated to employ 50 technicians and aerospace engineers. The 100,000 sq. ft. facility  will feature several high bays (measuring 100’ in height) and will cost more than $120 million to build. 

Deployed into low Earth orbit by United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Blue Origin rockets, Kuiper will be  an array of approximately 3,000 satellites. With half the world currently lacking Internet connectivity – impacting the quality of education, the delivery of services, and goods distribution – the Kuiper  system will provide customers worldwide with access to high-quality broadband, even in remote areas. 

For more information on Project Kuiper, go to www.AboutAmazon.com. 

The new Amazon facility is located near NASA’s former Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) – one of the  world’s longest runways, at almost three linear miles – in a manufacturing area being developed by  Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency. Renamed the Launch and  Landing Facility (LLF), the area provides aerospace firms seeking industrial sites at KSC with year-round  access to restricted airspace, far from populated areas along the coast. [Florida consistently ranks  among the top states for aerospace industry employment, with more 17,000 aerospace-related  companies, and over 130,000 employees, as reported in a recent survey of the industry.]  

Visit www.SpaceFlorida.gov for learn more about the LLF and Space Florida’s efforts to develop it. 

Futuramic, a Michigan-based company that provides advanced engineering, fabrication, and  machining services to the automotive, aviation, and aerospace industry, has announced plans to build  a 6,000 sq. ft. addition to its existing 12,000 sq. ft. assembly and manufacturing building on Garden  Street near downtown Titusville. The company, which services both commercial aerospace companies  and government missions for NASA and the Space Force, purchased the site in 2022, with plans to  create a business campus on adjoining property. The company anticipates a project cost of more than  $1.2 million.  

Founded in 1955, Futuramic bills itself as a full-service design and build company, taking a customer’s  idea from concept to installation. As a worldwide supplier of fixtures, gauges, tooling and machined  parts, the company is continuously upgrading its CNC machinery and processes, to meet customer  demands and needs.

For more information on the company, visit www.futuramic.com.  

HydroSaurus Brewing Company, a start-up brewery company, has announced plans to acquire an  existing commercial parcel in downtown Titusville and convert the site into a beverage production  area, taproom, and café. According to owner Nicole Corning, the project is expected to result in a  capital outlay of over $2 million. An existing building at the site will be removed, and a 4,000 sq. ft.  building and patio area will be constructed in its place, with space for a small-scale brewery and  bottling operation. HydroSaurus will produce small batch craft beer at the facility/café, then bottle  and distribute its product line to bars and restaurants in east central Florida.  

For more details, go to www.hydrosaurusbrewing.com.  

HydroSaurus joins two other breweries currently operating in Titusville: Playalinda Brewing Company and The BRIX Project (which began operations in 2015 and 2018, respectively). Due to rapid  population growth in Melbourne, Titusville, and Palm Bay, more breweries have emerged throughout  Brevard County. Recognizing this development, the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s  Space Coast and the Space Coast Office of Tourism recently created the “Space Coast Beer Trail,” which  pairs unique craft beers in the county with the many types of rockets being launched at Cape Canaveral.  

Go to Launchesandlagers.com, and see what it takes to earn a “Launches and Lagers” mission  patch!  

1Source: Space Florida. See www.SpaceFlorida.gov. 

SPOTLIGHT ON: BOGGS GASES  

Industrial gases – such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, and acetylene – are  frequently used by manufacturing companies, pharmaceutical makers, biotechnology firms, and  aerospace companies. In the local market, Boggs Gases provides manufacturers with many of these  gasses in compressed cylinders and cryogenic systems. The company also services maritime clients at  nearby Port Canaveral and provides welding alloys and cutting equipment to other manufacturing  users. Founded in 1985, the company operates facilities in both Cocoa and Titusville, and employs  more than 30 people.

To learn more about this local supplier, visit www.BoggsGases.com.  

ZONE PARTICIPATES IN SPACECOM 2024  

The 2024 SpaceCom exposition and conference recently concluded at the Orange County Convention  Center in Orlando, with more than 4,000 attendees present from 60 countries. The NBEDZ joined over  200 exhibitors showcasing operations and engaging in three days of networking with large and small  firms in the aerospace industry. With increased activity in satellite manufacturing and deployment,  along with greater interest in conducting private space missions to low Earth orbit and beyond, events  like SpaceCom are growing in exhibitor and attendee numbers.

To learn about plans for next year’s  show, visit SpaceComExpo.com.  

SITE WORK COMMENCES ON REDEVELOPMENT OF TITUSVILLE MALL 

In Titusville, demolition crews have begun dismantling approximately half of the 300,000 sq. ft  Titusville Mall retail property (formerly known as the Searstown Mall), as the project’s developer – California Retail Properties Corporation – undertakes a phased plan to create a new mixed-use  development on the 22-acre site. According to CEO Jesse Wright, the first phase of the new  development, which will be anchored by an apartment complex and a new Cambria hotel, is expected  to cost $35 million. The redevelopment of the entire parcel is expected to be completed by 2028. 

ECONOMIC BOXSCORE  

Local Employment Data. The table below shows the latest employmentstatistics for the northern part  of Brevard County, Florida – principally, the communities of Mims, Port St. John, Scottsmoor, and  Titusville – according to seasonally unadjusted figures obtained from the Florida Department of Commerce (its Local Area Unemployment Statistics, or LAUS, data set), and the U.S. Bureau of Labor  Statistics.  

 December 2023 A Year Ago (December 2022) Percent Change

County Unemployment Rate	3.1 %	2.3 %
County Labor Force Size	304,633	299,634	1.67 %
Titusville Unemployment Rate	3.4 %	2.5 %
Titusville Labor Force Size	22,650	22,264	1.73 %
State Unemployment Rate	2.9 %	2.3 %
State Labor Force Size	11,122,000	10,862,000	2.39 %

Local Real Estate Market, as of January 2024. According to the Space Coast Board of REALTORS,  “Closed Home Sales” (single family homes) for January 2024 were down -6.4%, with 581 units closed,  compared to 621 units a year prior (January 2023). “New Pending Sales” were down, by -5.7% over  the previous year, but “New Listings” – an indication of available housing stock – rose, by 14.8%.  

The Median Sales Price for a Brevard single family home was up, by 6% (to $371,583), compared to last  year during the same period, which saw the Median Sales Price at $350,540. “Months’ Supply of  Inventory” of homes for sale was up, by 47.8% to 3.4 months, an increase from 2.3 months during  January 2023.

For additional information on key economic statistics for the North Brevard area, please  visit NBEDZ.org and SpaceCoastMLS.com.  

AVAILABLE BUILDING  

9,000 sq. ft. concrete block building, for industrial use, at 1018 Orange Street, near downtown  Titusville. Built in 1966, with two overhead doors (10’ high), and a secured parking area. Zoned M-1  by the city (light industrial). Listed for lease. Contact: Fitz Real Estate Services, at 813-862-2045.  

REMEMBERING NBEDZ TEAM MEMBER, JO SOJOURNER  

With much sadness, the NBEDZ shares news of the passing of friend and colleague, Jo Sojourner; she  will be greatly missed. During her time with the NBEDZ, Jo was known for her welcoming and helpful  attitude. She was always supportive of her fellow NBEDZ staff members, helping to build their skills  and talents. Her spirit will remain with us. 

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