County staff reported progress on several site-development leads at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park and other county properties, and described how public project activity can prompt additional investment.
Staff showed a recent photo of the AgroLiquid facility under construction at the mega park and said the company expects to open by the end of the year. The rail stub and cleared pads at the site were described as factors that helped the county present shovel‑ready acreage to prospective firms.
A company the county labeled “Project Steel” initially sought 80–100 acres; after on-site review the firm determined about 60 pad-ready acres were sufficient, staff said. Conversations with that lead are ongoing and included discussion of power requirements and timing.
One early-stage, confidential prospect expressed a need for about 50 megawatts of power; staff said Florida Power & Light (FPL) has been responsive in analyzing cost and timing for power delivery.
Staff flagged several other leads: a cold-storage prospect (Project RISE) that requires proximity to interstate access and cold-storage capacity, and a semiconductor-related lead labeled Project Garfield that the county said remains active. A joint proposal with neighboring Taylor County for a large water‑intensive site (Black Sable) was submitted but the county learned it was not selected for the state process.
Staff cautioned these are leads at varying stages: some are under confidentiality and early discussion, and some may produce additional allied firms (one steel-related lead is generating separate supplier interest). No final agreements or incentives were reported in the provided transcript excerpt.
Board members discussed the suitability of isolated parcels for projects that have munitions, testing or aviation‑related uses and urged staff to weigh trade‑offs between allocating scarce large parcels to such projects versus other industrial users.