Lawmakers may strap a rocket to the 3-2-1 rule.
Lawmakers are moving forward with a pair of Space Florida initiatives as budget negotiations continue, including a new pilot program that would test orbital data storage for state agencies.
Under the latest budget offer in the Transportation and Economic Development silo, the House and Senate are aligned on sending $1 million to Space Florida for a data storage pilot program.
The proposal would direct the organization to contract with a Florida-based aerospace company to provide active orbital data storage services designed to bolster state disaster recovery and cybersecurity resilience.
In simple terms, the proposal would test storing backup government data on space-based hardware — essentially creating off-world “hard drives” that could preserve critical information if disasters or cyberattacks cripple systems on the ground.
The pilot would involve up to five executive branch agencies selected in consultation with the Florida Digital Service. Data governed by federal Criminal Justice Information Security regulations would be excluded from the program, and agencies participating in the pilot would be required to conduct integration testing and submit a report on feasibility and potential use cases to legislative leaders and the Governor’s Office by March 1, 2027.
The House also moved toward the Senate on a separate Space Florida infrastructure line item.
Budget documents show the chambers settling at $3 million for “Space Florida — Launch Pad Infrastructure,” down from the House’s earlier $5 million proposal.
Associated proviso language says the infrastructure funding could support “spaceport and aerospace activities,” including planning, environmental assessments, and development of state-owned infrastructure.
The Space Florida items surfaced as House and Senate negotiators continued narrowing differences across the broader transportation and economic development budget silo Sunday night.
Lawmakers say they can still finish the 2026-27 budget before the end of May, but it could be close. A memo from House Speaker Daniel Perez has House Budget Chair Lawrence McClure and Senate Appropriations Chair Ed Hooper meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday to hold talks “until completion.“
If the budget hits desks tomorrow, it starts the constitutionally required 72-hour cooling-off period, teeing up a House floor vote Friday with the Senate to follow before Sine Die. The 2026-27 fiscal year begins July 1.
