Sirois to President: “Florida is go for launch”
House Memorial 1281 by Representative Tyler Sirois (R- Cocoa) was passed unanimously today by the Florida House of Representatives. The memorial requests Congress to approve the creation of the United States Space Force and establishment of its headquarters in Florida. The memorial follows a recent White House proposal by President Donald Trump, and Governor Ron DeSantis’ call for the Space Force to be headquartered in Florida.
To determine the location, the U.S. Department of Defense is conducting a study on the merits of each proposed location. Yesterday, Representative Sirois reached out to officials at the Pentagon for further information on the study. During his remarks on the House floor, Representative Sirois invited President Trump to visit Florida’s Space Coast to review the spaceport infrastructure and to meet with the area’s workforce.
In a letter to President Trump, Representative Sirois wrote: “Florida is the ideal choice to serve as headquarters for this new branch of our nation’s armed forces. Within Brevard County, on Florida’s Space Coast, we have the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Naval Ordinance Testing Unit at Port Canaveral, and Patrick Air Force Base—home of the 45th Space Wing. We have a robust and growing commercial aerospace sector that promotes a culture of innovation and agility. We have a civilian workforce highly skilled in avionics, advanced manufacturing, and modeling, simulation, and training.”
In remarks on the House floor, Representative Sirois added: “As Florida finds itself competing with other states for the many workforce and economic benefits that accompany a new military installation, I believe Florida is the ideal choice for the headquarters of this new military command. I think Floridians, more than any other state, recognize the space program as an enduring symbol of American leadership—or as Michael Mitchell, a Space Shuttle Engineer put it: a personification of “what a great people can do.”
Upon approval by the Florida Legislature, copies of the memorial will be delivered to Members of Congress and President Trump.
