DELTONA, Fla. – Deltona city officials confirmed Thursday that Amazon is the company behind a mystery 1.4 million-square-foot development coming to the city.
City leaders held a meeting Thursday to finalize a deal for the Amazon distribution center which they say will bring hundreds of jobs to Deltona.
The deal with Amazon has been in the works since 2013, according to a news release.
Gov. Ron DeSantis congratulated the city and Amazon after the distribution center announcement.
“Congratulations to Amazon on its newest distribution center in Florida," DeSantis said in a tweet. "This $100 million investment will create 500 jobs for the community and is great news for Volusia County. Florida continues to be the best state in the nation to start or grow a business.
BREAKING: Deltona city leaders have confirmed that an @amazon distribution center is coming to the city. Commissioners are finalizing incentive package today. Center is scheduled to be completed late next year. https://t.co/9qwtA0tGu2 pic.twitter.com/Rl4ZJWJBO1
— Mark Lehman (@MarkLehman6) December 26, 2019
Previously known only as “Project Normandy,” the development is planned for an industrial property near Normandy Boulevard and Graves Avenue, known as the Portland Industrial Center. In October, city commissioners voted unanimously to rezone the 85 acres of land to accommodate a 1.4 million-square-foot distribution warehouse or an industrial center.
“It’s a dream come true for the city of Deltona,” Deltona Mayor Heidi Herzberg said. “We’ve waited a long, long time to have economic growth. Now we have, not only this Amazon project, we have a hospital and we have a lot of other growth in that area. 2020 will be the decade of Deltona.”
The Amazon distribution center is expected to create 500 full-time jobs by 2023, according to the city.
Employees at the warehouse “will pick, pack and ship large customer items, such as sports equipment, patio furniture, fishing rods, pet food, kayaks, bicycles and larger household goods," according to an Amazon news release.
The latest Amazon location will become the fifth for the online giant in the Sunshine State. Amazon currently operates facilities in Orlando, Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville.
Amazon said jobs at the new facility will start at $15 an hour with benefits.
Residents who live in the area expressed support for more job opportunities but also said they were concern about the kind of infrastructure needed to support the large facility.
Dayle Whitman, a Deltona resident, said she is “cautiously optimistic” about the project.
“There’s a lot of people here that like jobs and want to work and don’t want to travel to Orlando or Daytona all the time, so hopefully it will all work out," Whitman said. “I hope it turns out to be a good thing and down the road, it will encourage other companies to take a look at Deltona.”
Other community members said they were concerned about the traffic. Ismael Colon lives of Normandy Boulevard.
“My biggest concern with the Amazon distribution center right there, it’s about the traffic. The traffic is going to increase, I think it’s going to increase four or five times the traffic is right now,” Colon said.
However, resident Danielle Gringham said, “anything is better than Orlando traffic."
“If they’re going to come down here and bring down jobs and bring more people out here to live and boost the economy, I’m all for it," Gringham, who also lives off Normandy Boulevard, said.
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“We’re excited to continue our investment in Florida and further expand our presence in the state with this new fulfillment center in Deltona,” Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment Alicia Boler Davis said. “Since 2013, Amazon has invested more than $5 billion in Florida through local fulfillment centers and cloud infrastructure, research facilities, and compensation to thousands of employees in the state.”
City officials said they couldn’t previously reveal the company behind the project because of a nondisclosure agreement with Atlanta-based developer Paul Seefried. Seefried Industrial Properties has previously developed properties for Amazon, along with Home Depot, PetSmart and other companies, according to a news release.
Duke Energy plans to build a new substation in Portland Industrial Park to support the Amazon development.
Last week, commissioners approved a $2.5 million incentive package for the company behind the project over the next five years.
