With the announcement that Amazon will be coming to Tallahassee, several elected officials and local leaders commented on the news.
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, Vice Chair, District 1
“Being one of only a few communities in the nation to welcome an Amazon Fulfillment Center means we are doing it right, from early coordination to the review process and beyond.”
Leon County Commissioner Jimbo Jackson, District 2
“As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic uncertainty, Amazon brings the certainty of new jobs and investment. I am eager to see the lasting effects of Amazon’s development throughout our community.”
Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch, District 4
“As Amazon’s development takes shape over the next year, I recognize the important opportunity for not only the citizens I serve, but all of Leon County and throughout the Big Bend region. Developments like this one are unprecedented in Leon County’s history and will bring an equally unprecedented amount of opportunities to our citizens and businesses in Leon County.”
Leon County Commissioner Kristin Dozier, District 5
“Amazon’s expansion into Tallahassee-Leon County brings the single largest injection of private sector jobs our community has ever seen. I know that Amazon is eager to call Tallahassee-Leon County home, and we will continue to work with their team in the months ahead to realize this transformational opportunity.”
Leon County Commissioner, At-Large Nick Maddox
“Amazon’s investment will be felt all across Leon County, from the supporting local businesses to households looking for job opportunities. I am proud of our collective effort to invest in and cultivate our economic development ecosystem.”
Leon County Commissioner, At-Large Carolyn D. Cummings
“Amazon’s Fulfillment Center is a game-changer for our local economy, creating more than a thousand well-paying jobs in the first year alone. Amazon’s investment will lead to further investment from other companies and industries, creating long-term economic impact.”
City of Tallahassee Commissioner Curtis Richardson, Seat 2
“We can all look forward to the vast economic impact that Amazon will have on our community. This project is a result of collaborative efforts toward job creation and economic prosperity, and I am proud to have supported it.”
City of Tallahassee Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox, Seat 5
“I couldn’t be happier that Amazonchose to build and create jobs in our community. This project is a great investment in Tallahassee that will further strengthen our local economy as we look forward to coming out of this pandemic.”
Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad
“I am thrilled that Amazon recognizes Tallahassee as a place where businesses can thrive thanks to a collective focus on ensuring our local economy is strong and getting stronger. This is something we can celebrate and be proud of as we work to keep this momentum going.”
Tallahassee-Leon County Department of PLACE Director Benjamin H. Pingree
“Under the leadership of the IA Board of Directors and City and County management, OEV, Planning and DSEM worked with Amazon to bring this exciting project home. This effort showcases the collaborative nature of economic development and the tangible benefits that are borne from it.”
Economic Vitality Leadership Council Chair Steve Evans
“This project is a true testament to both our community’s ability and commitment to effectively drive economic vitality, growth, and job creation efforts in Tallahassee-Leon County. On behalf of and as Chairman of the Economic Vitality Leadership Council, I welcome Amazon to Tallahassee and congratulate the Office of Economic Vitality, Leon County, and the City of Tallahassee Team on a job well done.”
Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce President Antonio Jefferson
“At the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce, we are proud to have Amazon coming to our community and look forward to the contribution they will bring to Tallahassee in regards to economic development and job creation.”
Capital City Chamber of Commerce President Katrina Tuggerson
“This project couldn’t have come at a better time. The new jobs and wages that Amazon will bring to Tallahassee is ground-breaking as we continue to recover from the pandemic and seek to diversify our local economy. The Capital City Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome Amazon to our community.”
Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Sue Dick
“This is outstanding news, not only for the Tallahassee-Leon County community but also for our entire region. This long-awaited decision by Amazon attests to everything that Tallahassee has to offer for a cutting-edge company – a friendly business environment, educated workforce, and quality of life. Amazondirectly supports our JobsNow initiative, and we are delighted to welcome them to Tallahassee!”
About the Tallahassee – Leon County Office of Economic Vitality (OEV)
When you are looking to grow, relocate or start your business in Florida’s capital city, the Office of Economic Vitality is your front door to business resources. OEV can guide you in a variety of ways: site location, talent solutions, financial assistance, for instance. To foster a strong business climate, the Office of Economic Vitality provides data, resources and support to site selectors, state partners, and business leaders in the community alike. We serve as the connector between state economic development, workforce development and business.
Local Leaders Comment on Amazon Project added by Staff on
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Infusion of Amazon funds will, indeed, energize the Big Bend economy, but everyone needs to think clearly and anticipate the inevitable troubles associated with such a huge change: increased population means increased stress on traffic, increased criminal activity of all kinds, and inordinate political influence–a power that Amazon brings to every site it builds. In other words, current residents beware: With the job opportunities come more taxes for roads and bridges; more robberies, murders, home invasions, and drug activity in the downtown and elsewhere; and a genuine struggle for various local governments to maintain independence as they determine our future because Amazon corporate leadership will assume that its desires will be met by properly respectful and (desperately?) grateful city and county government leaders.
I am happy about the project all told. I wonder how it may enhance the airport and flight service?
Amazon already has 10 Fulfillment Centers in Florida, and 7 more planned to open in 2022, including the one here. It was inevitable that they would put one up locally.
Ergo, the City didn’t need to waste $2.56 million of our tax dollars to “entice” them.
Shame on them.
I suspect kickbacks to the local Usual Suspects.
Extremely well hidden, of course.
Perhaps using crypto.
Maybe our “poor man’s version of AOC” got left out of the payola?
I for one, welcome our New Amazon Overlords and actively encourage thier new slave labor camp, where workers will be underpaid, work long brutal shifts and not allowed to go pee if they have to!
Maskahassee has done well! Will we get CCP Uighur slave labor campstoo? Inquiring slave minds want to know!
Well, I guess jobs in the area is a good thing. Let’s hope that it doesn’t hire illegal aliens. Amazon starts people at $15/hr. The downside of this is I bet those people that voted for this are getting back door money. Meh. As for DeVoe Moore, good for him. He wanted to put a minor league baseball team on HIS PROPERTY and the county shut that idea down. But they are OK with an Amazon Distribution center. Tallahassee and Leon County SUCK! I can’t wait to move away from this crooked A$$ town!
Right now, the future looks bright and unlimited for Amazon. They’re building all kinds of monster centers all over the country as if their on-line success story will never end and sales growth will last forever.
It will only be a matter of time when some new corporate behemoth comes along and knocks Amazon out of their retail leadership ranking. Too survive they’ll start cutting costs, laying off employees and yes, even start shutting down some of their brick-and-mortar facilities. Remember the time when Sears was one of the most dominant retailers in the country. The new store Kohl’s built up on North Thomasville Road sits idle to this day.
Amazon can and will shut down this massive fulfillment center in a heartbeat once business conditions start to go South for them. They could care less what that would do to the employees and community not to mention the monstrous, ugly facility they will abandon and leave behind. Maybe our great city and county leaders will turn it into an Ice-rink like they did the old Tallahassee mall.
Party-on now and dance with excitement over this new addition to Tallahassee. Do, however, keep in mind that all parties must come to an end once the punch bowl is empty.
@ FBI Informant … elitist much?
Finally Tallahassee Leaders have done something right!..Kind of shocked to be honest.This is the kind of project that will bring other big companies to town and hopefully snap this town out of its long standing policy of anti-business behavior that has made Tally a National Joke.Maybe one day this town eventually can be another Austin or Madison thriving College Metropolis instead of a backwater run by dumb locals only out to enrich their pockets so they can buy another F 150 every year?
Mayor, City and County Commissioners, 2003 – 2020: “Buy Local!”
Mayor, City and County Commissioners, 2021: “AMAZON!!!”
Hope,
I don’t know what you are worried about. It is a BluePrint project.
Heh.
Tom, More people, more tax revenue, more business in Tallahassee. Basically more of everything…..good and bad.
More trucks, more people, more crime, more pollution.
Any neighbors concerned about having the city and county follow the Landscaping guidelines on this project take a field trip out to Apalachee Parkway and look at the Boulos Corporation project if you want to see a horrendous result.
I guess bribe money replaces the Landscaping budgets. And I guess nobody does anything about it because they’ll get exposed for their shenanigans.
Tallahassee Leon County landscaping and maintaining is not up to par with other cities. But let’s pay for those junkets to Amelia Island and Sandestin …our tax dollars at work.
Given how crooked Leon County and the City are, I wonder how much in bribes Amazon had to pay to keep the “protesters” from setting it on fire. I am sure the shakedown is only just begginning. Amazon has no idea what the cost of bursiness is here.
C’mon TR staff… only one dissenting voice for this project, and you didnt get comments from her? Or did you ask and she refused comment? I think she owes her constituents the reasoning behind her vote. Dont let her off the hook!
Talk about a corporate butt covered in liberal political lip prints… good Lord people, have some self-dignity why don’t ya…
… and here all this time I’ve been told that it was those racist, elite, mean, old white Republicans that kiss the sphincter ring of Big Business.
… lol… I gotta tell ya, irony can be pretty ironic sometimes
This is good news. I hope to see that area boom with more Businesses.
If all those miscreants are for it, I’m sure it will be a disaster for us that they all stand to profit from.
I’m just a little suspicious with everyone of our Nannies throwing out accolades for Amazon.
1. Uber woke AOC did not want Amazon in her district.
2. Our local Nannies are all uber woke.
This can only mean ALL of our local Nannies got some bribery under the table.
I bet Mr. DeVoe Moore is the person who made this happen and our local officials are just taking credit for it.
WOW!
So crap made in China coming to Tallahassee so workers can fulfill orders and whereby earn a nonliving wage with no benefits. Again, WOW!!
So the vacant land near the airport that is already set up with infrastructure was not a contender? Another story about being connected pays off.
And with the federal corruption trial going on I thought Amazon would figure that one out.
Good luck to the surrounding neighborhoods whom I bet will get no consideration regarding the standards they expect to be applied when building this project.
Wake me up when you get a Technical, Aviation, Medical, or Educational enterprise that pay living wages and benefits and then I will be impressed..