Piper Aircraft To Stay in Vero Beach?
An April 28 Indian River County budget resolution approved $12 million to keep Piper Aircraft at its headquarters in Vero Beach, Fla., and the state of Flo

An April 28 Indian River County budget resolution approved $12 million to keep Piper Aircraft at its headquarters in Vero Beach, Fla., and the state of Florida added another $20 million. The agreement with Piper would have to be closed by June 30, and Piper would have to agree to design, develop, produce and assemble the new single-engine PiperJet in Vero Beach and execute an affidavit confirming that it has orders for at least 75 copies of the jet secured by $5 million worth of deposits. According to the budget document, Piper does not plan to build new facilities to accommodate PiperJet development and production but will adapt existing facilities unless demand ā€œexceeds current assumptions.ā€ Piper expects to spend about $150 million on the PiperJet development program, in addition to $15.1 million it has already spent. CEO Jim Bass said he plans to recommend the $32 million agreement to Piper’s board of directors.