JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Aviation Authority leaders and local officials met Wednesday to discuss plans aimed at turning Cecil Airport into an aerospace hub, a pitch they say could bring hundreds of high-tech jobs and new investment to the region.
The roundtable-style meeting focused on how to attract more aviation, aerospace, space and defense companies to Cecil, with the proposed relocation of Otto Aviation’s headquarters from Fort Worth, Texas, highlighted as a major early win.
“Cecil has the opportunity to be a major growth engine for our city,” City Council member Nick Howland said during the discussion, predicting logistics, space, aerospace and defense companies could follow over the next decade.
JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace said the availability of hangar space at Cecil helped Jacksonville stand out.
“One of the things that separated Jacksonville from the other locations in the entire state was the ability of the hangar out at Cecil,” Wallace said. “That allowed our aerospace to say, ‘OK, we can become operational much faster here in Jacksonville than we could in other places.’”
Officials described the Otto project as a $430 million investment supported in part by Florida incentives. Plans include renovating a 15,000-square-foot hangar to support initial research and development and production activities.
Cecil Airport and Spaceport Director Matt Bocchino said additional infrastructure work is also being considered, including extending an existing taxiway to provide access to an approximately 80-acre site where Otto could build a manufacturing facility.
“There’s no cost on it yet, but it’s going to be , I was thinking $20 million,” Bocchino said, adding that identifying capital funding will be one of the challenges.
While some funding logistics are still being worked out, officials said the project is expected to create hundreds of jobs and will involve multiple partners, including the City of Jacksonville, JAXUSA and the Florida Department of Transportation.
Bocchino pointed to a Florida Department of Transportation economic impact study from 2022, saying Cecil had the highest annual average salary of any airport in Florida.
“One of the unique things about Cecil is the quality of jobs that are out there,” Bocchino said. “So it’s very high tech, high paying.”
JAA leaders also said the push is about building a workforce pipeline — encouraging students to pursue aerospace careers and connecting them with training, university resources and future employers.
“One of the things we need to do is get the youth interested early on in this type of work,” Bocchino said, citing demand for aerospace workers.
He added that Jacksonville’s university presence and mix of industries could help support that effort.
JAA officials said the project remains in early stages as the authority continues an environmental assessment process with the Federal Aviation Administration. The next aerospace growth meeting is scheduled for June 10.