Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) joined U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and the Florida congressional delegation in a letter to urge the U.S. Air Force to select Florida as headquarters for the U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM).

The Department of Defense is currently in the process of establishing SPACECOM, which will serve as a unified combatant command to organize America’s military efforts in space.

On June 29, Gov. Ron DeSantis submitted the nominations of eight Florida locations as potential headquarters for SPACECOM. Those locations include:

• The City of Jacksonville
• The City of Tampa and Hillsborough County
• Brevard County
• Seminole County
• Pinellas County
• The City of Pensacola
• Orange County
• Miami-Dade County

Waltz has been a strong supporter of the newly-established U.S. Space Force and has repeatedly made the case for Florida to headquarter SPACECOM.

“Florida has long been a leader in America’s efforts in space. In fact, every American manned mission to space, including SpaceX’s recent successful Crew Dragon launch, began its voyage on Florida soil,” the lawmakers wrote. “Apollo, the Space Shuttle and the Mars Rovers all launched from Florida. Florida has been a driving force in the renaissance of the space industry over the last decade. Leaders on both sides of the aisle recognize the strategic importance of American leadership in space. Florida has worked hard to cultivate deep relationships between federal and state agencies, the military, private industry and our elite institutions of higher education in order to expand the horizon of this great national endeavor.”