“Our technical institutes here have been aligned with this industry for many years,” said Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of Palm Beach County’s Business Development Board.

The county has nearly 2,000 aviation, aerospace and engineering companies this year, a 36% increase from the 1,401 companies five years prior, employing about 21,000 people.

“It’s a very healthy industry,” Smallridge said. “As the federal government develops more and more defense-related grants that fund things like drones, or fighter jets, missiles, we see increased activity from companies.”

The Pentagon’s 2027 budget includes about $54 billion for drones and autonomous weapons, and some South Florida companies have secured a portion of those funds, including firms in Miami and Fort Lauderdale that help test and build drone systems.

Smallridge also pointed to a county initiative as a factor drawing interest to South Florida.

The Wall Street South initiative, led by Palm Beach County’s Business Development Board, is a campaign to make the Palm Beaches and Miami a major center for finance.

“So many of these companies not only see money moving here, but people moving here,” said Smallridge.

Miami-Dade is also part of Florida’s growing aerospace industry. This year, the county is home to 753 aerospace companies employing about 36,000 people, up 34% from five years ago, according to the Miami-Dade Beacon Council’s research team. Council representatives are currently at the Farnborough Airshow promoting Miami-Dade as a hub for aerospace investment.

The industry’s growth received another boost in 2024, when lawmakers designated the Homestead Air Reserve Base as a spaceport, which lets aerospace companies there qualify for special financial support.