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County approves incentives for Costco’s $109M-plus Tradition distribution expansion; 115 jobs pledged
Summary
St. Lucie County and the city of Port St. Lucie agreed to a package of tax‑exemption and fee mitigation incentives to support Costco’s Phase 2 distribution expansion in Legacy Park at Tradition, a project that company and EDC officials said will add roughly 115 full‑time jobs and significant construction investment.
Economic Development Council (EDC) staff, joined by Costco representatives, presented a proposal for incentives tied to Costco Wholesale’s planned Phase 2 expansion at Legacy Distribution Park at Tradition.
EDC Director Katie Knight told the Board the proposed Phase 2 includes a roughly 1‑million‑square‑foot combined facility (a 994,000,000 construction figure and $15 million in machinery and equipment were cited in the presentation) and a commitment to create about 115 full‑time positions averaging $26.61 per hour. Knight described a tiered ad‑valorem tax exemption, impact‑fee mitigation and a county job‑growth grant as the county’s proposed contributions, with the city of Port St. Lucie offering parallel incentives and expedited permitting.
"Phase 2 checks all the boxes," Knight said, citing capital investment and higher‑wage job creation in a targeted logistics sector. The board approved Resolution 2025‑597 (as presented) to authorize the incentive framework; staff explained that the ad‑valorem exemption requires a future public‑hearing ordinance after the company finalizes expansion details.
Commissioner discussion touched on how the county scores and benchmarks incentives and on alignment with affordable‑housing metrics such as area median income (AMI). Commissioners asked staff to include both local average‑wage comparisons and AMI references in future incentive analyses; county administration said the EDC and administration are developing a scoring matrix and that the board will be offered a briefing on a revised incentive framework.
Why it matters: County leaders said the incentives will retain and expand a major employer’s logistics footprint in St. Lucie County and create construction and recurring payroll activity. The board voted to approve the incentive resolution as described by staff; project agreements and the formal ad‑valorem exemption ordinance will return for further approvals.
