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Bob Socks, 67, moved to Titusville in 1968 and began an entrepreneurial career that has ranged from running an Orange Julius stand to selling home decor to owning commercial buildings. He’s lost count of how many shuttle launches he’s seen. Socks is a member of the Titusville Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Titusville Sunrise Rotary Club. “I don’t want to let negativity get the best of me, and we have programs coming to attract high-tech industry here,” he says. “But that’ll take four to five years, and if you’re in your early 50s and spent your career on the shuttle program, you’re in trouble.” Socks says he and his fellow Rotary Club members have counted 63 empty buildings on the main streets of Titusville alone. “That’s just been happening the last three years, since the end came in sight.”

David Burnett/Contact Press Images

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Photos from: "Throttle Down" »