How about 600 new, good-paying jobs in Brevard County?
Melbourne International Airport leaders officially signed a multiyear lease Tuesday morning with Embraer for a new three-building facility, which will total about 250,000 square feet.
The lease will run until 2039. The buildings will be built by the Melbourne Airport Authority on 22 acres of airport property.
The total cost of the project will be about $48 million. The Florida Department of Transportation will contribute about $36 million.
The agreement means more than 600 jobs when construction wraps up in 2016. The first plane is expected to roll off the assembly line in 2016.
The project will house aircraft assembly, painting and delivery of the company's newest line of Legacy jets. The average job will pay about $55,000 per year.
Economic leaders said hundreds of more related jobs are possible and would pump millions of dollars into the Space Coast economy.
"Airports are economic engines," said Greg Donovan, executive director of Melbourne International Airport. "Our job is to provide the best atmosphere for companies to succeed."
Embraer is also holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new research-and-development center Sept. 8. That facility will also be located on the north side of the airport.