{"id":798489,"date":"2026-08-02T02:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T02:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/798489\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T02:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T02:28:17","slug":"donalds-wants-nasa-headquarters-in-florida-more-space-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/798489\/","title":{"rendered":"Donalds wants NASA headquarters in Florida, more space jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican front-runner for governor, unveiled his plans for the state\u2019s space industry Friday, pledging that if elected he would fast-track permitting for aerospace projects, expand training in space-related trades and lobby the federal government to move NASA\u2019s headquarters to Florida.<\/p>\n

Donalds, 47, of Naples, has led the GOP primary field by double digits since entering the race in early 2025 with President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsement. The primary is Aug. 18.<\/p>\n

He rolled out his plan at the University of Central Florida after a tour of its Florida Space Institute lab, which is developing simulated lunar soil. Donalds said his plan would create high-wage jobs, which in turn would help make the state more affordable and address \u201cthe number one issue impacting Florida today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event drew a slate of Republican officials, including Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, who called the plan \u201ca slam dunk for Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission, joined Donalds, too, and praised such efforts. A recent study found the region needed about 7,000 more aerospace employees across a dozen skill areas, she said.<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds delivers remarks on the future of Florida\u2019s space industry during a visit to the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Oviedo, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds delivers remarks on the future of Florida\u2019s space industry during a visit to the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Oviedo, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. Looking on, from left, state Rep. Mike Haridopolos, Mrs. Erika Donalds and Florida House majority leader Tyler Sirois. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds greets former Florida House speaker and U.S. congressman Tom Feeney, right, with state Rep. Mike Haridopolos, left, during a visit to the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Oviedo, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds jokes with his spouse, Mrs. Erika Donalds, while delivering remarks on the future of Florida\u2019s space industry during a visit to the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Oviedo, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds delivers remarks on the future of Florida\u2019s space industry during a visit to the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Oviedo, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. Looking on, Florida House majority leader Tyler Sirois. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds delivers remarks on the future of Florida\u2019s space industry during a visit to the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Oviedo, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds tours the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Orlando, Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds chats with employee Max Kuehn while touring the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Orlando, Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 8<\/p>\n

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds delivers remarks on the future of Florida\u2019s space industry during a visit to the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab in Oviedo, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2026. The lab creates simulated planetary geological materials for research and education use worldwide. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Donalds pledged, as he has in the past, to press Washington to relocate NASA\u2019s headquarters to Florida and to build what he called a \u201cworld-class space force military academy\u201d in the state \u2013 proposals that would require federal cooperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf all the action is here, then why is NASA sitting in Washington, to do what exactly?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The idea of moving NASA\u2019s headquarters is not new. Florida officials, including U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, have pushed for the relocation since Trump took office, arguing the agency\u2019s Washington building sits largely empty. Texas, Alabama, Ohio and other states are seeking the same prize.<\/p>\n

Asked whether Congress would go along, Donalds acknowledged the fight, saying rival state delegations \u201clove to compete\u201d but that Florida\u2019s launch record gives it the edge. Donalds has only had one brief conversation with Trump on the issue, but he expects to \u201chave a lot more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Florida launched more than 100 rockets last year and that tally could reach 1,000 or more annually \u201cover the next few years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

If elected, Donalds said he would speed up government approval for aerospace projects and introduce expedited permitting legislation. Anticipating pushback from environmental groups that faster permitting would mean weaker protections for Florida\u2019s coastlines and wildlife, he insisted \u201cexpedited and permitting changes the timeline, not the standard,\u201d and projects would still meet state environmental requirements.<\/p>\n

In his first year, he also wants a new office for the space industry inside the governor\u2019s office, and an annual \u201cspace race summit\u201d convening private companies, federal agencies and universities.<\/p>\n

In year two, Donalds said, he would expand the state\u2019s Space Florida Academy. Launched by Space Florida, the state\u2019s aerospace development authority, the academy creates an aerospace track for existing high school career and technical education courses.<\/p>\n

Asked how he would keep NASA and other government programs at the forefront as private firms capture a growing share of contracts and land, Donalds defended reliance on commercial companies, arguing they had revived U.S. capabilities after the space shuttle\u2019s final retirement during the Obama Administration.<\/p>\n

He said the government has long partnered with private companies in areas such as defense and health care, and the same strategy makes sense for the space industry. Government agencies \u201cwant to do the right thing,\u201d he said, but \u201cthey\u2019re not pushing the envelope when it comes to innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donalds said his plans would not require new taxpayer spending, instead relying on and coordinating existing state programs. The state budget signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this year allocated about $25 million to Space Florida.<\/p>\n

Donalds\u2019 likely Democratic opponent is former U.S. Rep. David Jolly. The general election is Nov. 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican front-runner for governor, unveiled his plans for the state\u2019s space industry Friday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":798490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[2808,3,111,79,5262,193],"class_list":["post-798489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-florida","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-science","tag-social","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=798489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/798490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=798489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=798489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=798489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}