WASHINGTON – Senator Ashley Moody introduced legislation Tuesday seeking to locate the new U.S. Space Academy in Florida. The bill, named the STARS Act, follows President Trump’s executive order last month establishing the new military service academy. According to Moody’s office, the institution is intended to serve as a training ground for the U.S. Space Force as well as for personnel entering NASA and the civilian space industry.
In a prepared statement, Moody asserted that Florida is “America’s gateway to the final frontier” and that future space leaders should be trained there. The legislative push is one part of a broader effort by the senator’s office, which stated it is also working with state-level partners to respond to a formal Request for Information (RFI) from the administration about potential sites for the academy. The senator also recently met with space industry executives to lobby for a Florida location.
This bill is the latest in a series of legislative actions by Moody to center the nation’s aerospace activities in her home state. Her office pointed to previous efforts, including a bill that would relocate NASA headquarters to the Space Coast and another that would allow private contributions for infrastructure projects at NASA facilities. The press release also cites the passage of a prior act from Moody that granted tax-exempt status to spaceport facility bonds, similar to existing rules for airports and seaports.
