(1) “Aerospace” means the industry that designs and manufactures aircraft, rockets, missiles, spacecraft, satellites, space vehicles, space stations, space facilities or components thereof, and equipment, systems, facilities, simulators, programs, and related activities, including, but not limited to, the application of aerospace technologies in air-based, land-based, and sea-based platforms for commercial, civil, and defense purposes.
(2) “Board” or “board of directors” means the governing body of Space Florida.
(3) “Bonds” means revenue bonds or other evidences of indebtedness, including bank loans, issued by Space Florida for the purpose of raising financing for its projects.
(4) “Business client” means any person, other than a state official or state employee, who receives the services of, or is the subject of solicitation by, representatives of Space Florida in connection with the performance of its statutory duties, including purchasers or prospective purchasers of Space Florida services, persons or representatives of firms considering or being solicited for investment in Space Florida projects, persons or representatives of firms considering or being solicited for location, relocation, or expansion of an aerospace-related business within the state, and business, financial, or other persons connected with the aerospace industry.
(5) “Cost” means all costs, fees, charges, expenses, and amounts associated with the development of projects by Space Florida.
(6) “Entertainment expenses” means the actual, necessary, and reasonable costs of providing hospitality for business clients or guests, which costs are defined and prescribed by rules adopted by Space Florida, subject to approval by the Chief Financial Officer.
(7) “Financing agreement” means a lease, lease-purchase agreement, lease with option to purchase, sale or installment sale agreement, whether title passes in whole or in part at any time before, at, or after completion of the project, loan agreement, or other agreement forming the basis for the financing under this act, including any agreements, guarantees, or security instruments forming part of or related to providing assurance of payment of the obligations under the financing agreement.
(8) “Guest” means a person, other than a state official or state employee, authorized by the board or its designee to receive the hospitality of Space Florida in connection with the performance of its statutory duties.
(9) “Landing area” means the geographical area designated by Space Florida within the spaceport territory for or intended for the landing and surface maneuvering of any launch or other space vehicle.
(10) “Launch pad” means any launch pad, runway, airstrip, or similar facility used for launching space vehicles.
(11) “Launch support facilities” means facilities that are located at launch sites or launch ranges that are required to support launch activities, including launch vehicle assembly, launch vehicle operations and control, communications, and flight safety functions, as well as payload operations, control, and processing.
(12) “Payload” means any property or cargo to be transported aboard any vehicle launched by or from the spaceport.
(13) “Person” means any individual, child, community college, college, university, firm, association, joint venture, partnership, estate, trust, business trust, syndicate, fiduciary, corporation, nation, government (federal, state, or local), agency (government or other), subdivision of the state, municipality, county, business entity, or any other group or combination.
(14) “Project” means any activity associated with any development, improvement, property, launch, utility, facility, system, works, road, sidewalk, enterprise, service, or convenience, which may include coordination with federal and state partners or agencies; any rocket, capsule, module, launch facility, assembly facility, operations or control facility, tracking facility, administrative facility, or any other type of aerospace-related transportation vehicle, station, or facility; any type of equipment or instrument to be used or useful in connection with any of the foregoing; any type of intellectual property and intellectual property protection in connection with any of the foregoing including, without limitation, any patent, copyright, trademark, and service mark for, among other things, computer software; any water, wastewater, gas, or electric utility system, plant, or distribution or collection system; any small business incubator initiative, including any startup aerospace company, and any aerospace business proposing to expand or locate its business in this state, research and development company, research and development facility, education and workforce training facility, storage facility, and consulting service; or any tourism initiative, including any space experience attraction, microgravity flight program, aerospace launch-related activity, and space museum sponsored or promoted by Space Florida.
(15) “Range” means the geographical area designated by Space Florida or other appropriate body as the area for the launching of rockets, missiles, launch vehicles, and other vehicles designed to reach high altitude.
(16) “Recovery” means the recovery of space vehicles and payloads which have been launched from or by a spaceport.
(17) “Spaceport” means any area of land or water, or any manmade object or facility located therein, developed by Space Florida under this act, which area is intended for public use or for the launching, takeoff, and landing of spacecraft and aircraft, and includes any appurtenant areas which are used or intended for public use, for spaceport buildings, or for other spaceport facilities, spaceport projects, or rights-of-way.
(18) “Spaceport territory” means the geographical area designated in s. 331.304 and as amended or changed in accordance with s. 331.329.
(19) “Spaceport user” means any person who uses the facilities or services of any spaceport; and, for the purposes of any exemptions or rights granted under this act, the spaceport user shall be deemed a spaceport user only during the time period in which the person has in effect a contract, memorandum of understanding, or agreement with the spaceport, and such rights and exemptions shall be granted with respect to transactions relating only to spaceport projects.
(20) “Travel expenses” means the actual, necessary, and reasonable costs of transportation, meals, lodging, and incidental expenses normally incurred by a traveler, which costs are defined and prescribed by rules adopted by Space Florida, subject to approval by the Chief Financial Officer.
(21) “Spaceport discretionary capacity improvement projects” means capacity improvements that enhance space transportation capacity at spaceports that have had one or more orbital or suborbital flights during the previous calendar year or have an agreement in writing for installation of one or more regularly scheduled orbital or suborbital flights upon the commitment of funds for stipulated spaceport capital improvements.
History.—ss. 3, 61, ch. 89-300; ss. 7, 8, ch. 90-192; s. 1, ch. 90-361; s. 2, ch. 91-265; s. 116, ch. 99-13; s. 2, ch. 99-256; s. 72, ch. 99-385; s. 12, ch. 2002-183; s. 367, ch. 2003-261; s. 28, ch. 2003-286; s. 4, ch. 2006-60; s. 56, ch. 2011-139; s. 1, ch. 2012-1; s. 2, ch. 2020-105.