NASA Hedges on Office Site Selection

ORLANDO-NASA won’t pick an office site for its planned 100,000-sf-plus shared services center until after the November elections, brokers in a position to know tell GlobeSt.com. The 26-year-old, 1,027-acre Central Florida Research Park, next to the University of Central Florida’s east Orlando campus, was among the agency’s top favorites to be chosen March 31.But politics may have entered selection process for the leasing or construction of the structure that would initially employ 500 workers and later increase the workforce to up 1,500 employees, brokers intimate with the enterprise tell GlobeSt.com. NASA spokespersons deny politics is involved. They say only that NASA has changed the site-selection process.The selection of a site and a general contractor must be made by June 2005 at the latest, according to the General Services Administration, the agency overseeing the leasing and construction of all office and industrial properties for the federal government. The new NASA office building would consolidate 10 separate national offices now each doing payroll, purchase orders and general administrative work. NASA has eight shared service centers around the country.Brokers in Brevard County, where NASA’s main offices are located in Melbourne, FL, tell GlobeSt.com US Sen Bill Nelson, a former astronaut who represents Brevard County, was the first to learn of NASA’s delay in picking an office site. NASA has made no formal announcement on the delay. Nelson learned of NASA’s action while talking casually with NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, brokers intimate with the planned venture tell GlobeSt.com.Orlando is competing for the site with Houston; Cleveland; Huntsville, AL; Newport News, VA; and Mississippi. NASA officials initially said they would make their decision based on which city could offer the best deal for taxpayers. NASA officials confirm Mississippi and Louisiana are offering a joint package valued at $20 million. Orlando’s bid, which includes local and state economic incentives, totals $900,000.The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and local Republican congressmen Tom Feeney, Dave Weldon, Ric Keller and Nelson helped prepare Orlando’s offer to NASA.