Brevard County is fighting to keep one of the Space Coast's largest companies headquartered in Melbourne.

Federal, state and local leaders have drafted a letter to Harris Corp., which recently announced its largest acquisition ever, worth over $4 billion.

With Harris' purchase of defense contractor Exelis Inc., it's possible the new, larger company could relocate its headquarters to Washington, D.C. That could also relocate many jobs, although that number was not immediately known.

In the open letter, published in Wednesday's edition of Florida Today, Brevard County leaders urged the multibillion-dollar, deeply rooted company to keep its hub on the Space Coast.

The letter starts by congratulating Brevard's largest company, which has been located in Melbourne since 1974, on its recent acquisition of Exelis. The deal creates an $8 billion tech company with 23,000 employees, including 9,000 engineers and scientists.

"When you associate Palm Bay and Melbourne, people always think of Harris, so we certainly don't want to lose the headquarters," said Brevard County Commissioner Andy Anderson, who was among nearly 4 dozen local leaders to sign the letter.

Though it's not known how many jobs could go with a potential move to Washington, where many more government contractors are already headquartered, the talk was enough for a long list of 44 Space Coast legislators and economic leaders to sign a letter addressed to Harris CEO Bill Brown.

In part, the letter states Harris Corp. has been a great business partner and corporate citizen. The company's influence is essential for agencies like United Way of Brevard. That organization's president, Robert Rains, also signed the letter, saying Harris employees contribute more than $1 million to their annual campaign.

"Harris is our superstar, and we want our star to stay here in Brevard," said Rains.

The letter also states how committed the group is to making Brevard County the logical and desirable home to Harris operations, including the corporate headquarters, for years to come.

The signatures came from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Republican Rep. Bill Posey and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.

"I've told Harris we want its headquarters to stay here on the Space Coast, and should the company make the move anyway, Brevard County needs to be compensated with some substantial economic benefit, meaning a lot more jobs," Nelson said.

The possibility of Harris' corporate headquarters moving remains just that — a possibility. There are still a lot of "what-ifs." All the company has officially announced was that it plans on "consolidating headquarters and eliminating public company costs and from operational and functional efficiencies."

When asked to comment, Harris officials said the company wants to maintain its strong presence in Brevard County, but could not comment further.

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44 signatures on open letter to Harris Corp.

Source: Florida Today

  • Jerry Allender, Board Chairman, Canaveral Port Authority 
  • Thad Altman, Florida State Senator
  • Andy Anderson, District 5, Brevard County Commissioner
  • Jim Barfield, Vice Chair, Brevard County Commission
  • Dr. Brian T. Binggeli, Superintendant, Brevard Public Schools
  • William Capote, Mayor, City of Palm Bay 
  • Dr. Anthony Catanese, President, Florida Institute of Technology 
  • Tim Cerullo, Chief Executive Officer, Wuesthoff Health System
  • Glen Chaney, Chairman, Melbourne Regional Chamber of East Central Florida
  • Steve Crisafulli, Florida State Representative
  • Greg Donovan, Executive Director, Melbourne Airport Authority 
  • Tarilyn Fazekas, Chairwoman, Greater Palm Bay Chamberof Commerce
  • Robin L. Fisher, Chair, Brevard County Commission
  • Marcia Gaedcke, President, Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Chuck Galy, Interim President, Melbourne Regional Chamberof East Central Florida
  • Andy Gardiner, Florida State Senator
  • Debbie Goode, Chairman, Economic Development Commissionof Florida’s Space Coast
  • Tom Goodson, Florida State Representative
  • Trudie Infantini, District 3, Brevard County Commissioner
  • Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff 
  • Bill Johnson, Florida Secretary of CommercePresident & CEO, Enterprise Florida
  • Steve Johnson, President, The Viera Company 
  • Steven Johnson, President & CEO, Health First
  • Jeff Kiel, President and Publisher, Florida Today
  • Amy Kneessy, Board Chair, Brevard Public Schools
  • Adrian Laffitte, Chairman, United Way of Brevard
  • Mike McNees, City Manager, City of Melbourne
  • Kathleen H. Meehan, Mayor, City of Melbourne
  • Jeanna Merrifield, Chairman, Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • George Mikitarian, President & CEO, Parrish Medical Center
  • Bill Nelson, United States Senator
  • Vicki Northrup, President & CEO, The Greater Palm Bay Chamberof Commerce
  • Bill Posey, United States Congressman
  • William C. Potter, Chairman, Melbourne Airport Authority 
  • Robert Rains, President, United Way of Brevard
  • Dr. James H. Richey, President, Eastern Florida State College
  • Chad C. Shoultz, Acting City Manager, City of Palm Bay 
  • Curt Smith, District 4, Brevard County Commissioner
  • Billy Specht, Chairman of the Board, Titusville Area Chamberof Commerce
  • Betty Walsh, President, Space Coast League of Cities
  • John Walsh, Chief Executive Officer, Canaveral Port Authority 
  • Lynda Weatherman, President & CEO, Economic Development Commissionof Florida’s Space Coast
  • Linda Webster, Chief Executive Officer, Cocoa Beach Regional Chamberof Commerce
  • Stockton Whitten, County Manager, Brevard County