TEXAS, BROWNSVILLE, BEDC, AND NOW FLORIDA UP THE ANTE FOR SPACEX

By Juan Montoya
We hate to say we told you so, but we told you so.
Dangling a promised 600 jobs (source: BEDC's Gilbert Salinas) or is it 400 (source: BEDC's Jason Hilts) jobs starting at $55,000 before a hungry desperate population, mutlitmillionaire Elon Musk and his space exploration start-up SpaceX have started the bidding war between Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.
And local and state elected officials have jumped into the acution with zeal.

But, because "negotiations are under way," the public can't be told what exactly these "incentives" are. Hiowever, we now know that Gov. Rick Perry has rolled out the red (or is it dollar bill green?) for SpaceX, AKA as Space Exploration Technologies.

“Please know that I strongly support the efforts of SpaceX and the Brownsville community to bring this business to Texas," Perry wrote the Federal Aviation Administration which is conducting an Environmental Impact Statement on the proposal to build a rocket launch pad on Boca Chica.

"I ask you to favorably approve their application for a South Texas launch site,” he wrote.

Texas is said to have been working on an incentives package to help lure the company to Cameron County. Perry expressed his support for the SpaceX launch site coming to the Brownsville area. He states the project could mean “well-paying jobs and economic development to South Texas.”

Initially, there was some criticism at what some thought was a lukewarm effort by the governor's office and area legislators scurried to correct that impression. Now, with Perry on board, the whole word knows we're in the bidding war for good. 

Musk in the past has said that Florida and Puerto Rico have made stronger cases than Texas for the new launch site, he also said that things were changing.

"Sources" (which ones?) have reported after Texas appeared last week to be gaining the top spot in the competition to lure the new SpaceX launch site, Florida is trying to sweeten the deal they offered the company.

"We are no stranger to competition,” Nashed, Perry’s spokeswoman said. “If Florida wants to step up their game, then of course we are certainly open to that. We really want this project to be here and we are committed to doing what we can to get it here.”

Funny how people act like they're just dying to throw their dollars at Musk.
NASA, for example, on December 2008, awarded a $1.6 billion contract for 12 flights of their Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, replacing the Space Shuttle after it retired in 2011. This contract has a minimum value of $1.6 billion and a maximum value of $3.1 billion.
Hiowever, the flights scheduled to be launched from the Boca Chica launch site if it meets with FAA approval will not visit the ISS or launch manned flights to space.
Instead, if Texas and Brownsville throw enough money at SpaceX and gets the nod over Florida and Puerto Rico, the company plans to launch private payloads (weather and communications satellites and such) for private customers.
As late as two months ago (April 22) Gilbert Salinas, executive vice president of the Brownsville Economic Development Council, said he believed the  Boca Chica was chosen as a finalist simply because it is farther south than any other Texas option.
The closer to the earth’s equator the better for launching satellites or launch vehicles to carry cargo to the International Space Station, he said. The earth’s rotation helps boost the vehicle into space, he said.
Now we know that SpaceX never intended to launch cargo vehicles to the space station. If that was never true, why on earth would Salinasand the BEDC crowd repeat it as fact?
Now we know that SpaceX was also looking at an existing site in Willacy County, but didn't follow up on a county proposal. The Willacy County site was closed after objections were made by the Dept. of Homeland Security said it was too close to the border. The Boca Chica site is only about three miles from the Rio Grande.