Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, Florida’s first Black governor-elect, wants space and tech at the forefront of job creation in Florida. He also wants NASA to move its headquarters there. 

The Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, Florida, was central to the Apollo missions, including the first human moon landing in 1969. NASA’s rockets were assembled in Florida, and launched from the center.

NASA’s headquarters have been stationed in Washington, D.C., since President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958.

Nearly 68 years later, Donalds hopes to recenter Florida in the aerospace ecosystem and generate jobs through launches. 

NASA’s forthcoming move follows an executive order signed by President Trump in February 2025, launching his administration’s federal workforce optimization initiative. In March of that year, NASA considered closing its headquarters and distributing workers to its other field locations.

NASA’s lease on its current headquarters in D.C. expires August 2028, and the administration announced that it is looking for a new headquarters in a 2024 press release.

“NASA Headquarters issued a solicitation for the sale or lease of commercial property in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Responses were due in September, and our evaluation is ongoing,” NASA news chief Cheryl Warner told Fast Company.

Donalds first made space a big part of his campaign when he and other representatives co-led bipartisan legislation called the Consolidating Aerospace Programs Efficiently at Canaveral Act (or the CAPE Canaveral Act) in March 2025, alongside members of Florida’s congressional delegation.

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