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Taylor County Development Authority reports pipeline of 20+ projects, highlights site readiness and job potential
Summary
TCDA representatives told commissioners they are pursuing a broad pipeline of industrial leads, including defense, wood manufacturing and light industry projects; officials highlighted site readiness work at Graham's Legacy, the City of Perry property and cleanup at the West Fraser site.
Taylor County Development Authority representatives updated the Board of County Commissioners on economic development efforts, describing an active pipeline of more than 20 projects and several sites being prepared for prospective industry.
The TCDA presenter said the agency is working both to retain existing employers and to recruit new industry. He described a sanitized project list for commissioner review that uses project codenames (Project Grace, Project Bravo, Project Magnolia, Project Boron, Genesis, Gamma, Omega and others) to protect confidentiality during deal development. The TCDA report emphasized teamwork among county staff, the school system, Doctors Memorial Hospital, Taylor Big Bend Technical College, utilities (Duke Energy, Tri‑County Electric) and rail partners.
Site readiness highlights cited at the meeting included: - Graham's Legacy (Andy Jackson site): roughly 273 acres already zoned and offered for sale or subdivision; TCDA said it can be subdivided for multiple users. - City of Perry property: a 51‑acre parcel the presenter said had received Duke Energy site readiness designation; Duke approved only two Florida properties for that designation as of April 1, and this was identified as one of them. - The West Fraser mill site: the presenter said asbestos had been identified; demolition bidding was underway with demolition expected to start April 1 and that the rail infrastructure and a converting warehouse could be preserved to make a future industrial yard attractive to users.
TCDA leaders said projects vary widely in scale. The presentation listed potential investments from as low as $15 million up to $2.5 billion and employment ranges from about 15 to 700 jobs, depending on the project. The authority reported that, of more than 20 leads, about 11 remained active at the time of the briefing and that six site visits had been completed.
Commissioners pressed TCDA staff about timelines and workforce needs. The TCDA representative and staff noted that some projects are turnkey or seek existing space and could produce immediate activity, while larger new‑build projects could take one to two years to reach first payroll, depending on permitting and construction. TCDA staff also described ongoing workforce training coordination with Taylor Big Bend Technical College and local training partners to match skills to employer needs.
Why it matters: commissioners said the activity shows progress on long‑running economic development objectives and stressed the need for continued coordination around workforce training, site readiness and environmental remediation at legacy industrial properties.
Next steps: TCDA asked for continued county support on site readiness, coordination with state partners including Florida Commerce, and assistance where county regulatory or infrastructure steps can accelerate projects. No formal action was requested at the meeting.
