The agenda for the May 27th meeting of the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency Board of Directors was updated Monday night to include details about the fulfillment center development labeled Project Mango.
The agenda item requests approval of a competitive incentive package to support the expansion of a logistics & fulfillment company, Project Mango.
Specifically, the agenda item requests approval of the Targeted Business Program application for Project Mango and an allocation of $2,565,299 over six years to support this project from the Office of Economic Vitality Capital Budget
Details indicate that Project Mango represents the potential expansion of a Fortune 500 company into Tallahassee-Leon County.
The company expansion will include:
• $200 million capital investment in a new 650,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center
• 1,000 new fulfillment and management jobs, paying at or above $15/hr. to be created between 2022 and 2023.
• Economic impact of $451.1 million, creating 1,346 permanent jobs and 2,256construction-related jobs.
The agenda item states that the project is highly competitive as the company is also considering other locations for the new logistics & fulfillment facility.
Also, the recommendation/approval of this incentive package does not ensure that the company will select Tallahassee-Leon County but allows our community to maintain a competitive posture as the company evaluates our community and other sites for their future site location.
Finally, the incentives for the IA Board’s consideration are performance based. The company must meet the agreed upon jobs and capital investment to remain eligible for the full incentive.
Project Mango Details Released added by Staff on
View all posts by Staff →
Our local government has done a horrible job of attracting business to Tallahassee. Everyone can’t work in government offices or at FSU. The liberals who claim to help low income families are the ones who keep good blue collar jobs out of Tallahassee. There is a large percentage of our community that desperately need these jobs! The kicker is, we’ve been without them for so long the people of the community don’t even know what they’re missing. Instead of fighting to keep manufacturing out of our area, our leaders need to do whatever’s necessary to attract these companies. You’ve got to go out and get them, just like other communities. We just had an arms company move their manufacturing facility from Miami to Bainbridge. Why Bainbridge? We have a beautiful community. We have easy access to an interstate highway, a large population of people who need jobs, low wages, and FSU is pumping out engineers. I was hired by last manufacturer that moved into he area and helped setup the facility. Our government pulled together to beat out San Antonio and Charlotte NC. but it was a hard battle, mostly fighting the liberals in our community. This company brought in hundreds of good jobs, and has been a stepping stone for many young engineering students from FSU. Not to mention all the trades and service industry jobs created. I could introduce you to dozens of people who started working in production or the warehouse and now have management, customer service, or technical positions. Many of them have traveled to other countries. The HARD WORKING people of Leon County need good paying jobs!
IF this IS Amazon, and I hope it is, It will be interesting to look up and see a Drone flying around delivering Packages, if they will do that here…………..
Tallahassee/Leon county is going to grow – no matter what. I think citizens just want some chance for input and discussion about HOW it grows instead of all the under-the-table secret money deals. I will not approve any more taxes – as they are being used as incentives for deals to big business and state owned universities. Let the businesses and state pay their own way.
Listened in on the Leon Co ARM meeting this afternoon. County is moving deck chairs on the Titanic, and residents on the East side of the county are sunk.
P.S.
Isn’t Ben Pingree and Vince Long related? Didn’t Pingree have a big plan for Tesla to come here? Didn’t Pingree get thrown out of Wakulla County as the County Administrator there?
Didn’t the person that bought Pingree’s home in Wakulla County back in the recession subsequently get a huge payout for a tech contract from the county which equaled about the same amount as Pingree’s house being underwater?
Didn’t Pingree allow a local credit union to misuse funds for a party that was really disguised as a PR event for the president of the credit union to come out as a political candidate? You can’t make this stuff up.
Also, this is a little suspect as in The Usual Suspects… Which usual suspect held the carrot up to Tamaryn Waters ( who took the bait)?
The usual suspect who delivered a failed Convention Center, Scott Maddox’s right hand man (partner in crime turned snitch), and the one who Ms. Waters makes Caesar salads with and reports that as breaking news rather than reporting on the problems at the Joint Dispatch Center at the time?
I’m sure the politicians are seeing dollar signs in their campaign coffers. But again my issue here is incentives. If the company won’t com here without bribes then we don’t want them. Lower sales tax and property taxes for ALL business instead.
@ Jon… The “incentives” are typically in the form of property tax abatement. In some cases, infrastructure impact costs are also absorbed by the local taxpayer funds (aka: “…from the Office of Economic Vitality Capital Budget”) They have fun with the semantics, but its all always tax dollars in the end.
Business have figured out how to play one municipality against another. Look at it like a bidding war on a house purchase. The business seeks to build a new or expand their business, so they research their location options They do their own internal fiscal analysis and know exactly which location is the most fiscally beneficial to them, but they don’t share that data (hence the secrecy). Then they pit two or more municipalities against each other in a “secret” bidding war (seeking direct tax dollar and/or tax abatement incentives) with the promise of returning glorious economic “impact” figures and high-paying jobs, et al…
For the most part, the local pols are swayed by the artists renderings, PowerPoint presentations, and the promise/projections of glorious returns… and if so swayed, simply give a nod of approval to the staff’s recommendations. As always, the devil is in the “secret” details.
Fact is, however… it can be a very effective and successful process, and indeed result in the promised economic benefits to the winning community. But as I noted, it’s all about the details in the deal… to wit: are they direct or incremental incentives based on achieving direct or incremental benchmarks for example. In other words… what are the guaranteed return on the taxpayer investment and is the a claw-back or sunset provision. Time will tell.
@Jon,
Exactly, well stated, and I totally agree with you!
Did you all miss the part about 2 mil in incentives? Why can’t a billion dollar company pay for their own stuff? I don’t like amazon either with their disrespect for free speech. But if they want to buy some land and build a warehouse have at it. Unlike them I respect freedom.
Amazing that Tally types are still screaming about any sort of job creator that isn’t centered around State jobs.
All the opportunities for economic growth and diversity have gone by the wayside in years past…who’s old enough to remember when Motorola was run out of town back in the late 70’s? They might have started a wave of companies putting offices/plants/jobs in Leon County that offered jobs. Good jobs. I suppose the State workers and their $45,000 a year jobs are okay with the Panhandle being passed over by the boom in this State.
Devoe Moore has done great things for FSU and by association for Leon County. This will be one more thing he can do before he’s called upstairs.
Good take, Jeff… and I concur on the “hire local” requirement. I have no problem with economic growth, but it must benefit the local community at all angles possible… particularly is there are any tax abatement incentives involved.
@ Larry Butterwhatever… to claim that Amazon isn’t a darling of the left is over the top disingenuous. Furthermore, the reasoning you cite is absolute proof of it. Amazon is the classic Alt-Left Woke Supremest Hypocrite operation. They’ve destroyed countless of small businesses, and raked in a fortune as a result of the China Bio-Weapon Flu Scamdemic and the destructive NaziCrat policies and actions.
If the city had approved the minor league baseball stadium when Devoe offered to build it, Tallahasse would be in the daily national sports news. We now get an industrial warehouse. Our leaders really lack vision.
I have a lot of thoughts on this.
I hate Amazon, will not buy from them period, same as Walmart.
I like 1000 local jobs, as long as they are filled by locals and not others brought in to create more housing needs. That should be firm, real firm.
As far as Mr. Moore goes, he has done more for this town than all of us combined, starting from humble beginnings. He had the foresight to buy hundreds of acres at that interchange, and then sit on it till the time was right. Cudos to him, wish I was that dang smart.
He is in his 80’s and his time is near, I can not blame him for doing what he thinks is correct for his family and his legacy.
Yes , he did try a mall idea, turned down, and a minor league baseball park , turned down.
There are other things he could do with his property that would have far less benefits to Tallahassee.
When he is gone, his children are not going to just let his Cape Buffalo roam, something will be built there, it is too prime not to do so.
Actually the city could buy it, would be better money spent than that stupid pedestrian bridge over Monroe St.
Bring it on
Amazon is not a left darling with their workers’ complaints. The radioactive hair people on r/tallahassee are strongly opposed to it. Willing to cut off their noses to spite their faces and lose out on 1,000 jobs, they are.
As far as people complaining that it’s out 90, you can take a hike. It’s right near I-10. For shipping and receiving, you can’t get any better.
Not to mention a major name employer here that isn’t government, college, filthy attorneys and lobbyists, or dining. Tallahassee needs to pull on a pair of big kid pants already.
2nd time attempting to post this reply; don’t see why it would be rejected, it’s not inflammatory or inaccurate. Please email me, I’m willing to edit for corrections, of course.
Mahan/I-10 hyper-development needs to be managed by the County as a single issue, not development project by development project. In the works for Mahan/I-10 are:
(1) the “Secret Party” fulfillment center described above,
(2) a new Tractor Supply,
(3) a new 210 apartment complex courtesy of Arbor Properties, and
(4) whatever the closed golf course will become after its sale.
I’m not a NIMBY, but I am worried, because all of these parcels are currently either wholly or predominantly “unimproved” (i.e. dirt). Converting all that dirt to asphalt and concrete will likely increase flooding problems for residential areas of Leon County that FEMA designates as flood zones and floodways
Mango seems to have local elected leftist Nanny officials blessing.
Quite likely some money has passed thru a few of those HAA HAA inspired sources of funding.
And quite likely Mango is affiliated with a business perceived by leftists to be a ” woke” corporation.
Our leftist Nanny leadership is so predictable.
What I would like to know is, are the People that live in that area OK with this? Devoe Moore tried his best to build an “Open Air” Mall out there on Property he owns AND he even said he would pay to finish the Road and the People said NO. SO, they’re OK with THIS?
A horrible location for an industrial park that will bring semis and large delivery truck and loading/unloading noise into the area at all hours of the day and night, pollution into residential areas, and will downgrade the whole Mahan corridor. This belongs in the industrial park by the airport, or over in Midway.
Comments need to go to comments@blueprintia.org before 5 PM tomorrow, Wednesday, May 26th in order to be read by the Commission prior to the meeting at City Hall the following day at 3 PM.
Oh for goodness sakes it’s Devoe’s property and Amazon is the company!
@ Ray: Midway is not in Leon County and as far as the Airport goes, the land around it is being taken up by Solar Panels. Capital Circle SW by I-10 would be a good area.
@Edward: Not sure where Amazon was said to be the party other than peoples comments but, doesn’t mean that Mr. Moore is not involved some how.
They will build regardless of incentives. It’s a location play.
@ Tony… Amazon is the secret party
The way the city or county let the Boulos Corporation get away with that horrendous development on Apalachee Parkway I would be concerned if I lived near the area where this is being considered.
Everyone has largely the same opinion; the jobs and investment are welcome, but not right there. It needs to be further out of town, maybe midway or the airport.
Being on the East Mahan, and Devoe Moore owns Land in that area………… And I see he is selling his Golf Course and heard that he is selling his Car Museum, Hmmm…………. Makes me wonder WHO is the Secret Party doing this.
Love the jobs, just not on the east side and less than 8 miles from the state Capitol. These warehouses are typically outside of the city and not in residential areas.
Let it rip… tater chip.