A cautious excitement about big-time economic benefit is building among Brevard County officials as they await an Air Force decision about the location of its Battlefield Airman Training Center, which could bring as many as 1,300 additional Air Force personnel to the area.
The Air Force announced in July that Patrick Air Force Base was among eight finalists for the unit, which will train battlefield airmen in rescue operations, combat control, tactical air control and special operations. The final decision was expected this spring but that date has now slipped to summer, partly due to the change of administrations in Washington.
While Patrick AFB would host the unit, a 650-acre Air Force Annex in Palm Bay, located on Minton Road between Palm Bay and Malabar roads, is key to the bid, said Palm Bay Mayor William Capote.
He said Palm Bay officials were delighted when they heard about Patrick being short-listed for the training program because “the economic impact of this project is huge and we are excited to be in the running, or Patrick is. We happen to be the city that has the facility they are going to utilize. This annex has been sitting idle for a while and gets minimal use by the Air Force but now it could really become an asset for the strategic plans Patrick has in store,’’ Capote said.
Brevard County Commissioner Curt Smith, former County Commissioner Andy Anderson, and Lynda Weatherman, president of the Florida’s Space Coast Economic Development Commission have traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for Patrick AFB as the location of the new program.
“Over the years the value of the EDC visiting with Pentagon leadership has proven to be worthwhile,” Weatherman said. “From the Pentagon perspective it provides the opportunity to learn about the culture here and get a sense of the commitment we have for our installations,” Weatherman said.
Whether or not the Patrick/Palm Bay location is selected for the training center, the effort to win the program has been worthwhile, according to Capote.
“Most [military bases] are downsizing and moving training facilities to different areas or shutting them down completely. Here, you are in a unique situation because the Department of Defense wants to build somewhere and your city is mentioned in the discussion. That’s huge. That puts us, Brevard County and Palm Bay, on the map. I’m optimistic. We’re down to the finalists. We got this far, and that’s huge,” he said.