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Jacksonville-area lawmakers launch three-county spaceport push

Cecil Airport and Spaceport's air traffic control center is named for Jacksonville astronaut Norman Thagard.
Sydney Boles
/
WJCT
Cecil Airport and Spaceport's air traffic control center is named for Jacksonville astronaut Norman Thagard.

Legislation filed by two Jacksonville-area lawmakers would create a Northeast Florida Regional Spaceport Authority for guiding the mission of winning a share of space launches and related commerce.

The proposed regional space authority would take over from the Jacksonville Aviation Authority as the lead agency for creating commercial aerospace activity in Duval, Clay and Nassau counties.

State Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, said the aviation authority has done a "fantastic job" setting the stage but the stakes are high enough that a separate authority is needed to concentrate solely on aerospace ventures.

Read the rest of this story at WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.