Amazon.com has confirmed a "state-of-the-art" new warehouse and a last-mile fulfillment center in the Tampa Bay region, creating hundreds of jobs, reports the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
The online retail giant recently confirmed a "state-of-the-art" new warehouse in Temple Terrace as well as a last-mile fulfillment center in Pasco County, says the publication. The Tampa Bay Business Journal first reported plans for the Pasco facility in February and the Temple Terrace project in June.
The Temple Terrace facility will create 750 new jobs, the company said. It will be used to fulfill orders for smaller items such as books, electronics, small household goods and toys. The jobs at that warehouse also include positions in human resources, operations management, safety, security, finance and information technology.
Amazon's official statement didn't mention the multistory nature of the Temple Terrace warehouse, saying only that the "new operations facility will span more than 600,000 square feet on the ground floor." A rendering of the new facility, which the Business Journal obtained in June, shows a four-story warehouse. That would make the warehouse more than 2.4 million square feet.
"The city of Temple Terrace is very excited to welcome Amazon as our newest corporate citizen. Amazon’s presence in our amazing city will bring more jobs and opportunities for residents and those throughout the region," Temple Terrace Acting Mayor Andrew Ross said in a statement.
The last-mile fulfillment center in Pasco County will open in 2021, the company said. It refers to those facilities as "delivery stations," which employ independent contractors who deliver via Amazon Flex, building their own schedules. There are more than 150 Amazon delivery stations in the U.S.
In a separate news release, the Pasco County Economic Development Council said the last-mile center represented a $40 million investment.
Amazon said it operates seven fulfillment and sortation centers throughout Florida in Jacksonville, Davenport, Orlando, Miami, Ruskin and Lakeland.
“We’re excited to be growing our operations in Florida and we are excited to open a new fulfillment center in Temple Terrace,” Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, said in a statement. “Amazon is committed to providing great jobs with industry leading pay and benefits, starting on day one, in a safe, innovative work environment. Amazon is grateful for the continued support we’ve received from local and state leaders and we look forward to creating over 700 jobs for the Temple Terrace community.”