OPINION: The Cape went quiet while Musk spent a record fortune to keep Texas red, and lost. Florida should read the fine print before it becomes his next safe harbor.
By Joseph Jackson | CAPE CANAVERAL (Nov. 9, 2026)
This is opinion from FMNN's editorial board. The facts are linked below.
The short version
Musk gave more than $445 million to Republican groups this cycle, at least $225 million of it in Texas. Democrats won every statewide office there anyway.
Texas's governor-elect wants a data-center freeze and has questioned a $1.66 billion tax break for Musk's chip plant.
Meanwhile SpaceX has paused Florida launches while it rebuilds Pad 39A for Starship. Florida is about to matter a lot more to Musk. We should set the terms.
If you live in Brevard County, you may have noticed the sky has been quiet. That's on purpose. SpaceX's vice president of launch, Kiko Dontchev, said in late October that Florida launches are paused for at least six weeks while the company rebuilds Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center for Starship. That's the 400-foot rocket SpaceX wants flying from Florida by the end of the year.
While the Cape went quiet, Elon Musk was busy elsewhere.
The most expensive bet in midterm history
Musk gave more than $445 million to Republican candidates, PACs and outside groups this cycle, the most of any donor, according to OpenSecrets. CNBC's count is at least $474 million. Fortune found that since May 2025, Musk has given more to federal political groups than George Soros has personally given in his lifetime. This cycle, Soros and his family gave about $100 million.
Remember when Musk said in 2025 that he'd be spending "a lot less" on politics? He spent more.
Much of it went to Texas: at least $225 million, according to OpenSecrets data reported by NPR, much of it trying to rescue Ken Paxton's Senate campaign. Paxton lost. Gov. Greg Abbott lost. Democrats won every statewide office in Texas and took the state House.
Why that's a problem for Musk
Texas is home to Tesla, SpaceX and the Starbase launch site. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa ran against corporate subsidies and against Musk himself. She has vowed a moratorium on new data centers and has questioned a $1.66 billion tax break for Terafab, the $16.8 billion chip plant Musk's companies are building in Grimes County. After the election, SpaceX shares fell nearly 4%.
Texas homeowners are already in federal court. Eighty plaintiffs say Starship's sonic booms damaged their homes, and they argue SpaceX knew its launches were too loud.
The Subsidy King's pattern
FMNN's five-part series, The Subsidy King, documented how Musk's companies were built: at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, according to a Washington Post analysis, including at least $6.3 billion in 2024 alone. Public money arrived at every rescue. When a state was generous, Musk built there. When a state asked questions, he threatened to leave. CNN reports that if Texas limits launches, SpaceX may look to a Louisiana spaceport.
In our opinion, that's the playbook: spend to pick the regulators, and if that fails, move to where the regulators are friendlier. Today, the friendliest launch coast in America is ours.
What Florida should ask before the giant rocket arrives
Starship is coming to the Space Coast, and much of that is good news. It means jobs, contracts, and NASA's moon program, which named SpaceX today as one of eight companies in a lunar delivery framework worth up to $10 billion. Brevard has lived with rockets for 60 years and is proud of it.
But this is a different rocket. The FAA's own review projected that Starship operations could close Playalinda Beach more than 60 times a year, with airspace restrictions that could delay flights at Florida airports. Researchers who measured Starship's booster catches in Texas mapped sonic-boom zones covering Titusville, Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.
So before Florida rolls out the red carpet, our questions for Space Florida, Brevard County and the governor are:
What incentives has Florida promised SpaceX for Starship, and what does the state get back if the job and investment promises aren't met?
Who pays when a sonic boom cracks a foundation in Titusville?
How many beach closure days will Brevard accept, and who enforces that cap?
Will Florida let a company whose owner just spent $225 million to keep Texas in his corner write its own rules here?
Texas voters sent Musk a bill. Florida should send him a contract with teeth.
Read the series: The Subsidy King
Sources
Spectrum News, Billions spent as 2026 becomes the most expensive election in U.S. history (OpenSecrets figures), Nov. 2, 2026
CNBC, Elon Musk suffers political setback in 2026 midterms, Nov. 4, 2026
Fortune, Elon Musk spent at least $225 million in Texas, Nov. 5, 2026
NPR, Elon Musk will face scrutiny from Democrats after midterms, Nov. 4, 2026
CNN, Musk bet big on keeping Texas red. What happens to his business empire now?, Nov. 5, 2026
AP via PBS, Musk says he will cut back on political spending, 2025
Washington Post, Elon Musk's business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding (as entered in the House record)
KSAT, South Texas residents suing SpaceX over alleged home damage, May 1, 2026
Law360, Texas Residents Say SpaceX Knew Launches Were Too Loud, Nov. 3, 2026
Gadget Review, SpaceX Pauses Florida Launches Six Weeks for Starship Prep, Oct. 28, 2026
Tech Insider, SpaceX's Florida Pad Clears Key Test, No Date Set
Space.com, SpaceX plan for Starship launches from Florida sparks debate among Space Coast residents, Sept. 2025
Talk of Titusville, Texas Lawsuit Over Starship Sonic Booms Foreshadows the Stakes for the Space Coast, May 7, 2026
Yahoo Finance, SpaceX, Rocket Lab blast higher as NASA hands out $10 billion in moon base awards, Nov. 9, 2026
Photo: "SpaceX Starship Launch Tower at KSC" by Charles Boyer, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped.
