Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Port St. Lucie approves impact-fee mitigation for ImportMex distribution center; company to create 121 jobs
Summary
Council approved resolution 25-R32 to provide ImportMex of Florida LLC with impact-fee mitigation tied to job creation for a 160,000-square-foot distribution facility in Tradition Center for Commerce; the package includes mitigation up to $3,500 per new job and performance penalties if targets are unmet.
Port St. Lucie City Council on June 9 approved Resolution 25-R32, authorizing impact-fee mitigation for ImportMex of Florida LLC to support a proposed 160,000-square-foot distribution facility and corporate headquarters in Tradition Center for Commerce.
Elijah Wooten, the city’s economic development administrator, told council the project will be built on a 23-acre parcel and represents about $30 million in new construction plus $1.8 million in machinery and equipment. The company committed to create 121 new jobs paying an average wage of $55,515 plus benefits; staff said the mitigation is structured at up to $3,500 per new job created and the total impact/mobility mitigation would be up to $423,500, with the total impact/mobility fee amount estimated at $79,153.
Wooten described the implementation schedule the company proposed: 91 jobs in year one, and the remainder phased through year five. If ImportMex fails to meet its performance standards, the company will be required to repay the waived impact/mobility fees on a prorated basis for each year or partial year out of compliance.
Council members supported the mitigation as part of the city’s jobs-corridor strategy and highlighted the project’s role in creating higher-wage local employment and retaining spending in Port St. Lucie. The resolution passed by voice vote at the meeting.
Why this matters: The mitigation ties a financial incentive to a defined job-creation and capital-investment commitment in a city area targeted for economic development; staff recommended approval and the council adopted the agreement with performance penalties to protect the city.
