Our current recession, painful as it is, is just an annoyance compared to the jarring economic dislocation we will suffer if we have no replacements for the jobs and business activity that will disappear with the Space Shuttle. Today we’re suffering with only about 8% unemployment. Titusville is facing the prospect of 50% unemployment, and the rest of the county is facing unbearable declines in employment, home values, business revenues, tax revenues and everything else that depends upon a sustained strong economy.
In this crisis, government is not the solution, but neither will it be the problem. We can expect our Congressional delegation to do their best to bring federal projects to the Space Coast. After all, they know we’re not likely to re-elect them if they can’t do their part. But at the county and local level, business and economic genius is concentrated in the Chambers and EDC. Space Coast governments will go to great lengths to accommodate solutions to the looming crisis, but the EDC and Chambers have to lead the way.

On January 20, the EDC signed up to a three-year goal of 2250 new jobs, backed by a solid plan that could easily yield even higher numbers. Now it’s the Chambers’ turn to look this community in the eye and commit to additional goals of their own. A modest promise from each Chamber, to increase local employment by one job per member company over the next three years, would mean another 2-3000 jobs, and the Space Coast would be well on its way to offsetting the losses at KFC.

We don’t care whether Chambers work together or in healthy competition with each other. We simply want results: new employers, and thousands of new jobs. Don’t tell us that it’s someone else’s problem; we who pay your bills consider this your number-one responsibility.

The leaders of our Chambers and EDC should see themselves in the same position as FEMA on the eve of Katrina. Either do the one thing you’re supposed to do well, or become forever irrelevant in the minds of Space Coast businesses and citizens.

Harris is a life-long management consultant to businesses, governments and communities. He is a past member of the Florida Today Citizens Advisory Panel, and a member of the board of directors of both the Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the EDC.