HIGH TECH BUSINESS CENTER IN OKALOOSA COUNTY TAKING SHAPE

The silicone valley of the East Coast. This is what some of the business leaders have said about the growth of the high-tech in this area. This is a major step in that direction with many more initiatives in the works or already starting. Strap on your seat belt it going to be a fun ride.


High Tech Business Center In Okaloosa County

FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA - Two hotels, four restaurants, a graduate education center, and over a million square feet of high-tech office space.....Planners of a new research park say it's all in the works.Channel Three's Laura Hussey is in Fort Walton Beach with our second top story.Throw in over a thousand new jobs and you'll have some idea of the scope of this project, called the Emerald Coast Research And Technology Park.It's about to jump from the drawing board to reality. A research park where education, the military, and private business come together.Greg Clauson/Coldwell Banker United Realtors "It's difficult to describe in just a few words, other than mammoth, significant......unbelievable to most of us in this area"The Emerald Coast Research And Technology Park will be anchored by the University Of Florida's Engineering Education Facility, known as The Reef. On ninety-eight acres next door, there will be graduate housing, a child care center, hotels, restaurants and a conference center. All close to the airport and Eglin Air Force Base.Larry Sassano/ Economic Development Council "Eglin's growing. And as it grows, a lot of the contractors will need space"The park will provide one point two million square feet of office space. But even more important, says Larry Sassano of the Economic Development Council, is the research component. Larry Sassano/Economic Development Council "We have companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and BAE Systems that have a significant amount of research being done by the parent companies, but it's not being done here. I think that's going to change" Greg Clauson At Coldwell Banker United Realty says even in the pre-leasing stage, interest is high.Greg Clauson "It's all in a walking community, a campus environment, that meets all the needs of any major defense contractor/IT/health service who would like to relocate"Larry Sassano/EDC "It's a reality, it's going to happen, yes I think there will be thousands of jobs over time"The research park will be built on land leased from the Air Force.That lease is about to be finalized, and groundbreaking is expected in the spring