The government shutdown is hitting Brevard where it hurts: The space industry

The longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history has suspended dozens of agencies and programs across the country. Here in Brevard County, the political impasse is hitting where it hurts most: space.

Most operational staff at Kennedy Space Center are dealing with the realities of being furloughed with no pay as the shutdown that began on Dec. 22 over President Trump's $5.7 billion demand for a border wall opposed by Congress wraps up its third week.

Of the 17,586 employees assigned to 10 NASA centers around the country, only 817 are working to support mission critical operations like the International Space Station, which requires round-the-clock attention. At KSC, of the total 2,013 NASA staff, only 196 are working. An additional 240 are on-call. 

The figures, released by NASA Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWitt just before the shutdown began, ensure that NASA "provides protection of life and property" at its centers. But they don't include the thousands more contractors who support NASA and economies surrounding the centers.

"I'm beside myself," said Kevin DiMeco, a local union organizer for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 600 to 700 of the impacted KSC workers. "The middle-class America that does all the work for this country is the one taking the brunt of a political issue. It's sad."

While some members of his union work for multibillion dollar companies such as Jacobs, which can weather the storm in the short term, others work for much smaller NASA contractors that don't have such deep pockets. And it's not just pay – health benefits can lapse, too.

"There are kids out there with special needs, there are adults who need certain medications," he said. "If they don't have a paycheck or insurance, they can't afford these things."

In the meantime, his union is organizing a committee that would pool resources to help impacted workers with medical bills, groceries, rent and mortgages, and other critical needs.

And it's not just NASA workers feeling the squeeze. 

Space Coast hotels that rely on NASA contractors and officials who travel around the country are starting to feel the impacts, too.

Tom Williamson, president of the Cocoa Beach Area Hotel and Lodging Association, said he has received a total of about 250 room cancellations in the last few weeks at two of his properties — the Courtyard by Marriott and the Hampton Inn in Cocoa Beach — largely tied to government contractors and space launch activity.

Williamson said projected room demand at his hotels for the government segment of the business is down about 30 percent this month, compared with figures from a year ago.

Williamson said he checked Friday with six other hotels in the Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral area, and was told that three of them also felt an impact, totaling an additional 270 room nights of cancellations.

Bonnie King, interim executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism, said her office has been getting calls in recent weeks from people asking if the KSC Visitor Complex, which is Brevard's most popular paid tourist attraction, remains open.

The Visitor Complex, operated privately by Delaware North and not supported by taxpayer dollars, is open and welcoming guests at the Apollo / Saturn V Center on KSC property. The tour buses, however, are not driving around the Vehicle Assembly Building or taking guests by the launch complexes, such as SpaceX's pad 39A. Other exceptions include special interest tours known as the "Explore Tour" and "Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour."

Brevard County's only national park and popular spot for viewing rocket launches, the Canaveral National Seashore, is partially open though inaccessible via beach entrance gates. Areas such as the Seminole Historic Rest Site, Apollo Boat Ramp and portions of the Mosquito Lagoon are open, though could close without notice. There are no staffed services available.

Other areas of Brevard, meanwhile, are faring better through the shutdown.

• Patrick Air Force Base continues to operate normally, including non-critical locations such as the Exchange and Commissary. The Department of Defense was already funded, which means launch operations hosted by the Air Force at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station can also continue.

• Orlando Melbourne International Airport also continues to operate normally. Despite other reports around the country indicating some Transportation Security Agency workers have called in sick due to a lack of pay, the Melbourne airport did not report any callouts. Spokeswoman Lori Booker said the airport enjoys a strong relationship with the TSA.

• Not waiting for a resolution in Washington, Keep Brevard Beautiful is organizing a cleanup at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge on Saturday after reports of trash building up there. The refuge is managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, which has seen most of its workers furloughed. Interested volunteers should go to Bairs Cove at 9 a.m. Saturday or call 321-631-0501 to learn more.

"Our government isn't working for the people right now," DiMeco said. "We hope our government works together to put an end to this issue."

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.