The authority or its agents and employees may do all of the following:

(1) Investigate, study, and engage in basic research relative to the natural resources of land, water, minerals, and people in the county and apply its findings in efforts to promote a sound and balanced agricultural, industrial, and economic development of the county.

(2) Cooperate with municipal, regional, state, or federal planning or other industrial development authorities.

(3) Publicize and advertise the industrial, commercial, and agricultural resources and opportunities in the county.

(4) Collect, compile, and distribute literature concerning the facilities, advantages, and attractions of the county, the educational, historic, recreational, and scenic places of interest within the county, and the air, water, and highway transportation facilities.

(5) Contract with other agencies, individuals, or corporations to promote the purposes of this article, and expressly to contract with any municipality in the county, not having an industrial development board, to act as the development agency for such municipality, and as such agency to exercise all powers granted to municipal development agencies under the general laws of the state.

(6) Enter upon any land in the county, with consent of the owner, and make examinations and surveys and place and maintain necessary monuments and markings thereon.

(7) Accept gifts, grants, bequests, or devises.

(8) Acquire land for industrial park development and construct buildings for lease, for industrial development only.

(9) Issue bonds and incur debt for the purpose of carrying out the function of industrial development of Escambia County.