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Lisa Rice picks an analogy from nature to explain the Space Coast’s predicament. “We’re in a kind of a controlled burn situation. You can’t be certain of the outcome, but mostly, after the smoke clears, you’ve set the ground for new growth,” she says. Rice, 49, is president of Brevard Workforce, a private-sector group that was formed in 2007 to deal with the end of the shuttle program. She works 60-hour weeks promoting the workforce that’s about to lose thousands of jobs. “These are the highest-quality workers anywhere; their ethics, their safety practices are amazing. You could say they are in denial and that they think something will come along, as before, and save us, but most of them are staying here out of loyalty, until that last, safe landing.” The White House has pledged $15 million for retraining to help keep people afloat. In addition, the federal government will provide another $40 million for economic development in Brevard County, and some of the money will be used to hold job fairs. “High-tech industries, and not just space-related outfits, are eyeing Brevard County as a place where an exceptional workforce exists and is eager to keep working,” says Rice. The job fairs will help such industries assess the chances of establishing operations that may eventually bring more positions to the area. “The worst case is 9,000 jobs [specific to shuttle processes] going away over the next year or so,” Rice says. “Best case is 7,000 [of those jobs lost], and that doesn’t include all the layoffs by local government and private companies.”

David Burnett/Contact Press Images

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Photos from: "Throttle Down" »