by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
When Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp was a kid his father worked for P.R. Mallory. The company made batteries, but not the kind that go into your TV’s remote control or one of the flashlights around the house. They didn’t power a car, either.
“They made batteries for the Apollo space missions,” said Kottkamp.
Through his father’s connection to NASA and the early space flights — Kottkamp says he vividly remembers watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in 1967 — Kottkamp developed a personal interest in space and space flight.
That personal interest has transcended his professional life. In addition to being second in command for the state, Kottkamp is chair of Space Florida and he’s really sure the state is positioned to take advantage of the economic opportunities that both manned and unmanned space flights present.
“We have a job to do and this is to grow and expand the economy in the aerospace industry,” he said.
Kottkamp is running for Attorney General. If he wins, being the state’s top attorney won’t deter him from pushing Florida to become the aerospace capital of the country. Kottkamp says such assets as the NASA facilities at Cape Canaveral and the potential in an airport such as Cecil Field make Florida attractive to any company looking to expand noncelestially. A workforce with plenty of experience in aerospace helps, too.
“We have a tremendous advantage in recruiting potential commercial space customers,” said Kottkamp. “NASA is a tremendous partner with the state of Florida and we are working with them to develop a life sciences center.”
Kottkamp believes space holds the key to not only the state’s but the country’s economic future, to an extent. Manned space flights will help develop vaccines and other medicines as well as recyclable and new energy sources.
“It (space) really drives innovation and the economy,” he said. “We have the best aerospace industry in the world. We have taken a very broad approach because we do have the workforce that we have developed over the past 50 years.”
Kottkamp says Cecil Field — which is owned and operated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority — is “another amazing asset” that is key to Florida’s aerospace industry. The airfield has a 12,500-foot runway, plenty of acreage and the JAA is in the process of obtaining a spaceport license for Cecil Field.
“We can make it what we want,” said Kottkamp of Cecil Field. He also added Jacksonville’s port is situated to become one of the most important on the East Coast. “I think the issue is getting people there and let them see (Jacksonville). It sells itself.”
356-2466