170 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 With a long process to get buy-in from residents, and a referendum to increase height limits, Malik says the city is finally starting to see the fruits of that labor. The Westin Resort and Convention Center will be the only 5-star resort in the county, something which is needed to retain the highprofile companies who are currently in the area. “We have companies such as L3Harris, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman United Launch Alliance, we have really high-tech companies in aerospace and defense. They want to stay local, but they have migrated to Orlando because we didn’t have a venue that was nice enough to host them,” asserts Malik. “So, this convention center, the hotel, and resort, will be a game changer for the entire region.” Recognizing the importance of this addition to the city, the county commissioners awarded a $30 million grant from the local bed tax to the Westin project. As a tourist city, events and festivals are part CITY OF COCOA BEACH, FLORIDA 9
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