Florida
‘A buzzing hive’: Florida Tech relaunching underused CAMID space as Vertex, a high-tech hub
During Florida Institute of Technology President John Nicklow’s interview activities leading up to his April 2023 hiring, he toured CAMID, the university’s sprawling 100,494-square-foot manufacturing-design complex on Palm Bay Road.
“Initially, I was so excited. ‘We have this facility out here, and it’s fantastic.’ And then I went inside — and I thought, ‘It’s half empty,’ ” Nicklow recalled.
“And it could be so much more,” he said.
To that end, Florida Tech has relaunched the underutilized Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design as Vertex, a new “applied innovation hub.” Rather than function as a traditional academic building, Vertex’s office space, manufacturing and clean rooms will host business tenants, contracted research and development work, facility rentals, workforce training and more.
“If we do our jobs right, and you come back a year from now, this place is going to be a buzzing hive,” Vertex Executive Director Samantha Miles said, seated in a second-floor conference room inside the complex.
Born in Melbourne Beach and hired in November, Miles previously held leadership positions with a research company and a business school in Dubai in the United Emirates; served as student experience coordinator at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia; and held student-centric posts at Florida Atlantic University.
“Right now, we’re in a big transition period. Because not only are we improving the space and making it more industry-facing, we’re redesigning our labs. We’re redesigning our communal spaces. We’re upgrading our equipment A-to-Z,” Miles said.
As of today, Vertex houses CAMID, the Florida Tech Research Institute and four businesses: the Larsen Motorsports jet dragster racing team; SafeSky Systems USA and Zeal OTM (drone and surveillance companies); and Solar Transport Systems (a solar-powered electric car company).
Miles said unused second-story space above the Larsen Motorsports shop is under construction for future drone testing and for a composites laboratory. This area will also house ASCEND, an acronym for AeroSpace Cybersecurity ENgineering Development. In June, Florida Tech announced it will receive $5 million in state funding for ASCEND.
“A pet peeve of mine is when we’ve not capitalized properly or fully on an asset — in this case, space. And so, that was the idea: How could this best be used to serve our community, to serve the institution?” Nicklow asked.
Intersil donated building, land in 2013
Vertex is located off the intersection of Palm Bay Road and Robert J. Conlan Boulevard, about a 3½-mile drive from the Melbourne-based STEM university campus.
Harris Semiconductor constructed the building in 1977. It later housed Intersil Corp. integrated-circuit and telecommunications facilities for government, defense, aerospace and commercial programs until 2009 — the building was known as Fab 54.
In September 2013, Intersil donated the complex and five acres of land with nearly 300 parking spaces to Florida Tech — a gift valued at $13.1 million. This large-scale donation occurred during a Florida Tech expansion era when the university added facilities and programs on- and off-campus.
Florida Tech’s nearby Panther Bay apartment complex had just opened that year on Palm Bay Road, a little more than a mile to the west. And the new Panthers football team also debuted in September 2013 with a 20-13 win over Stetson at Palm Bay High’s Pirate Stadium. The football program got dropped for fiscal reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida Tech announced a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in October 2015 to open the former Intersil complex as CAMID. Installed equipment includes computer-driven manufacturing equipment like a prototype fabrication bay, microelectronics tools, water-jet and plasma metal-cutting bays, and 3D printers.
Jason Jones operates SafeSky Systems USA and Zeal OTM, and he builds drones inside Vertex. He displayed a black quadcopter drone that recently flew over flame-blackened wildfire areas near Pasadena, California.
“With what we’re doing and the way the center’s growing, it gives us capabilities that we never thought we’d have,” Jones said.
Vertex to open for tours on March 28
Florida Tech officials will offer free tours of Vertex during an Innovation Ecosystem Expo from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 28.
The address is 2495 Palm Bay Road N.E., and the public is invited. The expo includes an indoor-outdoor showcase featuring booths from Vertex partners, along with 30-minute workshops.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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South Florida leaders take preventative safety measures after the U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran
South Florida leaders are taking preventative measures to keep residents safe after the U.S. and Israel launched major strikes on Iran early Saturday morning.
Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella-Levine Cava issued a statement reacting to the military operation that President Trump dubbed on Truth Social as “Operation Epic Fury.”
The statement reads: “The escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran poses serious risks to regional stability and international safety.”
She goes on to say that her thoughts are “with the people of Israel and the Jewish community here in South Florida who are watching these events with worry and uncertainty.” She also says the Iranian people “deserve peace, safety, dignity, and the freedom to live without repression.”
Of the Trump administration’s decision to launch the military operation, Levine-Cava writes: “Any military action taken without congressional authorization is a dangerous precedent, and we must learn from our nation’s past challenges. What must come next is a serious effort to restore stability and pursue diplomacy, not further violence.”
As for measures she will be taking, she says she asked her Chief of Public Safety to “ensure public safety agencies are aware and ready to activate plans in case of any disruption.”
The Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz also issued a statement saying that MDSO is “taking immediate security measures by increasing patrols to ensure the safety of our residents.” She said that they have increased security presence around places of worship, cultural centers, and schools.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the servicemen and women protecting our national security interests around the globe,” Cordero-Stutz wrote.
Aventura Police have also responded to the current situation on X, saying that they are monitoring the “current situation in the Middle East with our local, state, and federal partners.”
They go on to say: “At this time, there are no known or credible threats to the U.S. or Miami-Dade County.” However, they note that in “an abundance of caution,” they will be increasing security in religious facilities and other locations they deem as “sensitive” throughout the city.
The City of Miami Beach also posted its statement to X, saying it is also “closely monitoring the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.” They also note that at this time, there are no known credible threats to the city.
They write: “Out of an abundance of caution, we have increased our uniformed presence at synagogues, schools, and other key locations citywide. We remain in close coordination with our law enforcement partners and leaders within the faith-based community.”
They also urge residents to report any “suspicious or unlawful activity” to call their non-emergency number at 305-673-7901 or, if it is an emergency, call 911.
Other cities’ police departments, such as Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, and Hallendale Beach, posted on their social media that they will also increase security measures after the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
Austin Smotherman will carry a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches.
Smotherman followed his opening 62 with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That brought him to 11 under, comfortably clear of Taylor Moore, who is in second after his second straight 4-under 67.
Cognizant Classic scoreboard
“Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome,” Smotherman said.
Smotherman, 31, is in fine position for his first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro a decade ago. He has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, including last June.
Afterwards, he credited himself with playing “Austin Smotherman golf.” When asked what that meant, he responded, “as boring and simple as it can be.
“That’s what I want to do out there. I feel like I ball strike it good enough to have that kind of boring golf, a bunch of fairways ideally,” he said.
He suffered three bogeys Friday after a bogey-free opening round, but the key stretch for him after starting on the back nine was between Nos. 17 and 3. He birdied four holes in that stretch, starting with a 54-foot bomb at the par-3 17th hole.
“Anything under par I thought would have been (good) following up a round like yesterday, which was a special one,” he said, “and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at, like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.”
Moore overcame a bogey in each half of his round with three birdies on either nine, more than counterbalancing the rough patches to earn his second straight solid score.
“I think very different 67s,” Moore said when comparing his rounds. “I didn’t hit many fairways yesterday, kind of grinded a lot, had a couple chip-ins, which obviously helps. I thought I struck the ball much better today. Drove it in the fairways on the par-5s, I felt like. Yeah, still had a few up-and- downs, obviously, with the tough windy conditions this afternoon, but overall I thought it was solid.”
Canadian A.J. Ewart had the round of the day, a 64 that powered him to 7 under for the week. He’s tied with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (72), and Joel Dahmen is in fifth at 6 under after a second consecutive 68.
Ewart, who played for nearby Barry University in college, came in with some familiarity.
“We used to come and watch this tournament when I was at school. I think I came up here twice, maybe three times and watched,” Ewart said. “I had never actually played the golf course, but I felt like I knew it just from watching it.”
Irishman Shane Lowry, one of the most recognizable players in the field, is in a large knot for sixth at 5 under after posting a 67. Defending champion Joe Highsmith made the cut on the number at even par.
Notable players who missed the cut included Webb Simpson (1 over), Gary Woodland (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (3 over).
Kim maintains narrow lead in Singapore
Auston Kim maintained a narrow lead over three seasoned competitors with a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Kim carded five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-5 16th hole at Sentosa Golf Club to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of major champions Minjee Lee of Australia (64 on Friday) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and three- time LPGA Tour winner Haeran Ryu of South Korea (68).
Lurking two shots back at 7-under in the no-cut event are Australia’s Hannah Green (66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (69).
Kim, an LPGA Tour member since 2024, has been knocking on the door of her first tour win. The American has eight finishes in the top 10 and was the runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last season.
“I think just sticking to my process. I’m trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day,” Kim, 25, said of her strategy heading into the weekend. “I can put a hundred percent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well.”
Lee soared into contention with an eagle at the par-4 second hole and six birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I think just I holed a few more putts out there,” Lee said of the difference between Friday’s play and her opening-round of 72. “I holed a few long ones and I also holed out for eagle on the second. That always helps the score.”
Jutanugarn had six birdies, including three straight from holes Nos. 5-7, and one bogey.
Ryu collected four birdies in a round free of bogeys, but not free from pain.
“Today, my neck was so bad and I cannot turn it around, it’s so hard, my neck,” Ryu said. “But yeah, golf is not perfect. I just think about it, just hit the fairway and the green. Yeah, that’s good for me. There’s a lot of birdies, and yeah, I’m so happy.”
Angel Yin matched Lee for the low round of the day with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 6-under.
Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand (72) remained a 2-under posting four birdies and four bogeys.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for 33rd at 1-under after a round of 70.
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