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Jacksonville council approves amended $12 million incentive package to keep Winn‑Dixie jobs and West 48th Street store
Summary
The Jacksonville City Council on May 12 approved an amended economic development agreement that ties up to $12 million in incentives to Winn‑Dixie’s retention of 500 headquarters jobs, creation of 200 new positions and a capital investment commitment; a floor amendment adds an 18‑month notice requirement and repayment triggers if the West 48th Street store closes before its lease expires.
The Jacksonville City Council voted 16‑2 on May 12 to approve an amended economic development agreement with Winn‑Dixie that ties incentive payments to specific job and investment commitments and adds neighborhood protections aimed at preventing a food desert in Brentwood.
The agreement, as amended, requires Winn‑Dixie to retain about 500 headquarters employees, create roughly 200 new jobs averaging $100,000 annually, and make a minimum capital investment the council described as $65,000,000. Incentive payments are structured as a revenue‑sharing (rev) grant disbursed in tranches tied to verified annual hiring and payroll milestones; the package discussed at the meeting included an aggregate incentive number commonly cited in public comment as $12,000,000.
Why it matters: Councilmembers and residents said the vote responded to an urgent neighborhood need for food access near West 48th Street, while opponents warned the package risked becoming corporate welfare without firmer long‑term guarantees.
What changed in the amendment: Finance committee amendments tightened performance metrics and added a clawback clause requiring repayment if Winn‑Dixie fails to maintain the job levels for which grants were paid. Councilwoman Terona Pittman’s floor amendment — adopted on the floor — requires Winn‑Dixie to use “commercially reasonable efforts” to maintain a grocery store at 201 West 48th Street through the term of its existing lease (to February 2029), to facilitate a replacement tenant within a quarter‑mile if that store closes and to repay the city 100% of any retention grant disbursed if the company fails that particular commitment. The floor amendment also requires the company to report to the council 18 months prior to the lease’s expiration to allow public engagement and planning.
Council debate and votes: Vice President (floor leader) framed the deal as a “win‑win,” saying the package removes uncertainty for employees and for the neighborhood; he noted the agreement kept a store in Brentwood open and set binding hiring targets tied to payments. Council member Diamond dissented on principle, calling incentives to profitable companies “corporate welfare” and saying the negotiated term (three years for the specific store protection) was too short for the proposed payment. After extended debate that included several members urging stronger safeguards and community follow‑up, the amendment and the bill as twice‑amended passed on the council floor by voice and roll call procedures and the recorded vote was 16 ayes, 2 nays.
Community input: Public participation before the vote included five speakers specifically on this item who urged caution. Wells Todd and Katrina Spencer, both residents in affected neighborhoods, stressed the need for immediate food access and urged guarantees that the West 48th Street store remain stocked and accessible for seniors. Lydia Bell and Denise Scott said they feared the city was being pressured to pay for decisions private companies could make voluntarily; others called for stronger, citywide programs to prevent future food deserts rather than store‑by‑store deals.
Administration oversight and reporting: Office of Economic Development staff explained that Winn‑Dixie’s reporting will be routed through OED and vetted with the CFO and the city auditor, and that payments will not be released until the city has verified payroll and hiring benchmarks. Council supporters noted the finance amendment adds an aggressive job‑creation schedule and a callback (clawback) mechanism for at least the initial tranches (the record cited $1,300,000 per year as an example of an early payment tied to verified payroll growth).
What’s next: With council approval, the city will proceed to finalize contract documents and begin the verification/reporting cycle described in the agreement. The floor amendment’s 18‑month notification requirement gives the council and the neighborhood an opportunity for additional public engagement well before the West 48th Street lease expires.
The council approved the measure after a lengthy public hearing and a full council debate; the economic development agreement and its amendments will be implemented by OED and monitored by the city auditor under the verification steps recorded in the EDA.
