BUSINESS
JOB GROWTH
Amazon center at Midway Business Park to employ 500
Amazon recently announced that
it will be opening a fulfillment
center and creating more than
500 full-time jobs in Port St. Lucie.
Amazon will operate a traditional
fulfillment center on 110 acres at Midway
Business Park on West Midway
Road near the Interstate 95 ramps. Site
clearing has begun and construction is
projected to be complete by late summer
or early fall of 2022.
Employees in the retailer’s nonsortable
centers pick, pack and ship bulky
or larger-sized customer items, such
as sports equipment, patio furniture,
fishing rods, pet food, kayaks, bicycles
and larger household goods. Distribution
to individual homes will not be
made directly from the center, which is
considered a first-mile facility.
“We’re excited to expand our network
to better serve our customers in Port
St. Lucie,” said Mark Marzano, director
of operations at Amazon. “We are
grateful for the strong support we’ve
received from local and state leaders as
we broaden our footprint throughout
the Sunshine State. We look forward to
bringing more than 500 good jobs to St.
Lucie County and contributing positively
to the community.”
Earlier this year in Port St. Lucie,
FedEx Ground began construction of a
regional sortation center and has begun
hiring for the first of what is anticipated
to be 450 full- and part-time positions.
And Cheney Brothers announced it was
bringing a new distribution center and
380 jobs to the city.
“This latest, in a series of substantial
corporate investments, shows the commitment
of the county to stabilize our
economy and ensure the employment
options for all residents of our community,”
said Chris Dzadovsky, chairman
of the St. Lucie County Commission. “It
is also a testament of how the outside
corporate world sees the benefit of local
government cooperation that offers certainty
and speed-to-market. Without the
stability created through government
agency cooperation, these investments
would likely not come our way.”
“The City of Port St. Lucie is thrilled
to be home to the latest Amazon fulfillment
center,” Vice Mayor Shannon
Martin said. “At more than 1 million
square feet, the building will be the
largest in Port St. Lucie. More importantly,
Amazon will employ about 500
local people, offering full-time jobs with
fantastic benefits from day 1. There is
much to be celebrated today with the
announcement of these jobs, along with
the $100 million capital investment in
Port St. Lucie by Amazon and developer
Seefried Industrial Properties.”
Nationwide, Amazon offers a starting
wage of $15 per hour and provides
comprehensive benefits starting the first
day on the job. The company also offers
an innovative Career Choice program
that pays 95% of tuition and fees up to
a yearly maximum toward a certificate
or diploma in qualified fields of study,
leading to in-demand jobs.
The Economic Development Council
of St. Lucie County assisted with the
site selection, end-user due diligence,
expedited site plan review and master
site plan approval in 91 days. Local
commercial real estate broker Jeff
Chamberlin with SLC Commercial
represented the property owner in the
sale of the property.
“This important project is evidence
that successful economic development
truly is a team sport,” EDC president,
Peter Tesch, said. “For example, as part
40 Port St. Lucie Magazine
of the expedited
review
needed,
city staff
and county
engineering
worked closely
together to
effectively coordinate
with
the Florida
Department
of Transportation
in
Pete Tesch, president of the
Economic Development
Council of St. Lucie County,
says prominent national developers
are becoming more
simplifying
the process so
we could hit
the challenging speed-to-market
objective of what was then known as
Project Midway.”
Amazon will not receive any financial,
aware of the benefits of locating
to the Treasure Coast.
tax or job performance incentives.
Once the project is completed, the estimated
$100 million invested in property
and equipment will generate full tax
revenue for the city, county, schools, fire
district, South Florida Water Management
District, Children’s Services Council,
Florida Inland Navigation District
and help pay down the debt for the
Crosstown Parkway. E
Economic Development Council of
St. Lucie County
The planned Amazon fulfillment
center, at 1 million square feet, will
be the largest building in the City
of Port St. Lucie after construction
is completed in 2022. It will be
located in Midway Business Park
off Midway Road.