Opening a facility at centrally located Port Canaveral is a good business decision that many other companies have made before you. We strongly believe that locating here can help boost your success, as well as be a pleasurable experience for you and your employees.

Your first steps in becoming a tenant are to obtain a land lease from the Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) and then ready your building for occupancy. To help you get through this process as smoothly as possible, here is an outline of the procedures you will need to follow.

(Note: If you are subleasing space from a Port Canaveral tenant, you will deal directly with your landlord on preparing and occupying your space. If you need an Occupational Certificate for Brevard County, contact the Port's Tenant Relations Department.)

1. Apply in writing to the Director of Tenant Relations to be considered for a new land lease. Include the length of lease and property usage you are requesting (For an application form, click here.). With your submitted application, you will need to include a check to the CPA for a standard fee that covers the legal expenses of preparing your lease. (See Lease Application Fees.)

2. If your application is favorably reviewed by the Port's Chief Executive Officer, it will be placed on the agenda of a regular meeting of the CPA Board of Commissioners. We encourage you to attend this meeting.

3. Once your lease is approved, if you plan to build or alter any facility on the lease property, you must hire an architect/engineer licensed in the State of Florida to prepare appropriate plans and specifications. For information on applicable codes and Port design guidelines, visit our pages on building or improving your facility.

4. Before submitting completed plans to the Port for approval, contact the City of Cocoa to obtain a water meter.

5. You will also need to obtain a permit and pay an impact fee to the city of Cocoa Beach for sewage hook-up.

6. Submit six copies of your complete plans and specifications signed and sealed by your architect/engineer to the Tenant Relations Department, along with proof of payment for your water-meter installation and impact fees. Your plans will be reviewed by our staff and consulting engineer. (See Lease Application Fees relating to plan review.) Once you receive an approved set of plans and a "Notice to Proceed" (your Port building permit), you will be able to begin construction.

7. Provide a set of the approved plans to Florida Power and Light, setting forth the energy requirements for your building. Arrange with FPL to set transformers or provide a feeder service to your building.

8. Your architect/engineer will be required to make a minimum of three inspections during the construction process:
     1. Foundation inspection – to be made after trenches are excavated and forms erected.
     2. Frame inspection – to be made after the roof, all framing, fireblocking and bracing is in place and all concealed wiring, pipes, chimneys, ducts and vents are complete.
     3. Final inspection – to be made once the building is complete and ready for occupancy.
The Tenant Development Department also will be making spot inspections during construction to help ensure the safety and integrity of your building.

9. After the final inspection, submit a written statement to the Tenant Relations Department affirming that, based on the inspections, the building has been constructed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications. Have your architect/engineer provide the Tenant Relations Department with two sets of "as-built" drawings of the drainage and retention areas, one to be sent to the St. John's Water Management District and one for Port records.

10. Once all of your documentation has been received, the Tenant Relations Department will provide a final inspection of your electrical equipment and notify Florida Power & Light to initiate your service.

11. Within the two weeks before you open for business, submit an Occupancy Registration Form to the Tenant Relations Department.

Then it's time to celebrate. Welcome to your new home at Port Canaveral!