Business View Civil and Municipal l January 2023

131 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 high- profile 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 CI T Y OF COCOA BEACH, FLORIDA