Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

BRAC Breakdown

Florida saved all 21 of its bases and came out ahead in the recent Base Realignment and Closure recommendations. Some areas, however, lost jobs or key military programs, with Pensacola affected the most. "Right now there's no major Florida installation slated for closure, and that's significant,'' says Tim Laney, Bank of America's Florida president and co-chair of the Florida BRAC advisory council. But the process isn't over, he emphasizes.

"Where we have net gains and improvements to bases, our position will be to vigorously defend those DoD decisions," he says. The council will make it a priority to try to reverse some decisions involving Pensacola.

Florida BRAC advisory council member Susan Story, president of Pensacola-based Gulf Power Co., notes Pensacola's core mission of naval aviation isn't scheduled to be affected, but some officer training programs -- and the base's three-star vice admiral -- would relocate, along with the Naval Aeromedical Research Laboratory.

"The state is working with local communities to do everything we can to keep those in Pensacola,'' she says. BRAC does blueprint some compensatory actions for Pensacola, proposing to relocate the Naval Undersea Medical Institute and undergraduate navigator training there.

InstallationNet Civilian
Gain/LossNet Military
Gain/LossNet Mission
ContractorTotal
Net Gain/LossDefense Finance and Accounting Service
Orlando-200-90-209Navy Reserve Center
St. Petersburg0-120-12Eglin Air Force Base
Valparaiso782,1400 2,218Homestead Air
Reserve Station
Homestead710071Jacksonville International Airport Air Guard Station
Jacksonville1645061MacDill Air Force Base
Tampa231-1300101Naval Air Station
Jacksonville651,902582,025Naval Station
Mayport133970410Hurlburt Field
Fort Walton Beach-6-480-54Naval Air Station
Pensacola-1,180-302-97-1,579Naval Support Activity
Panama City-12-120-24Patrick Air Force Base
Cocoa Beach-59-1360-195Tyndall Air Force Base
Panama City-19-370-56Statewide Total-1,0023,798-392,757