September 22, 2023

Business Florida 2023
The Regions

Northwest

Bay • Calhoun • Escambia • Franklin • Gadsen • Gulf • Holmes • Jackson • Jefferson • Leon • Liberty • Okaloosa • Santa Rosa • Wakulla • Walton • Washington

| 11/9/2022

Logistics and Distribution

Thanks to its unique panhandle shape and easy access by air, sea and land, Northwest Florida is a logistics super-star. Advantages here include three deep-water ports, four commercial airports, two railroads designated Class 1 and one interstate highway providing easy links to three more.

Among recent developments:

• Amazon’s new 630,000-sq.-ft. robotics fulfillment center currently under construction in Tallahassee anticipates completion by early 2023. The $200-million facility is expected to create 1,350 full-time jobs.

• Construction of a 251,000-sq.-ft. FedEx distribution center in Panama City to service the region from Pensacola to Tallahassee. Opening in fall 2022, the new facility replaces an existing 60,000-sq.-ft. structure; 280 jobs are expected.

• The launching of a $26-million improvement program by Port Panama City, which includes a storage dome to increase capacity for wood pellets manufactured in nearby Jackson County; expansion of its east terminal; and construction of an intermodal distribution center.

KEY PLAYERS: Amazon, Seattle, Wa.; FedEx, Memphis, Tenn.; Port Panama City, Panama City

Airports Rebound and Expand
Northwest Florida’s airline industry took a hard hit during the pandemic, but it is roaring back. In 2021, the region’s four commercial airports reported these best-ever passenger numbers:

• Pensacola International: 2,324,044

• Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport: 1,998,587

• Northwest Florida Beaches International: 1,598,492

• Tallahassee International: 656,192

Tallahassee International: Construction is underway on a $28-million international passenger processing facility featuring a passenger port-of-entry and federal inspection station and other improvements to accommodate international flights.

Pensacola International Airport: City officials are planning a major expansion to include a new concourse, additional loading gates and expanded parking

 

Manufacturing

• Tallahassee-based Danfoss Turbocor has broken ground on a new, 167,000-sq.-ft. facility in Tallahassee. Scheduled for completion in early 2023, the site is expected to triple the firm’s current manufacturing capacity.

• Clearwater-based Purple Square Management is building a 24,500-sq.-ft. commercial bakery and distribution facility at the Okaloosa Industrial Air Park. The company, which operates Popeyes, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’ and other chains in 10 states, plans to create 60 jobs as a result.

• Central Moloney has chosen Bay County for a $20-million expansion of its manufacturing operations. Headquartered in Pine Bluff, Ark., the company designs and manufactures electrical distribution transformers and transformer component parts for utilities and distribution throughout the U.S.

• Gulf Cables, a manufacturer of the aluminum and copper insulated cables used in utility projects, has opened a 160,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility next to its existing plant at the Santa Rosa County Industrial Park near Milton.

KEY PLAYERS:Central Moloney Components, Pine Bluff, Ark.; Danfoss Turbocor, Tallahassee; Gulf Cables, Milton; Purple Square Management Company, Clearwater

Tags: Business Florida

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Gator with missing jaw finds home in Florida park
Gator with missing jaw finds home in Florida park

A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller. Gatorland Orlando said over the weekend that the injured alligator came from a lake in nearby Sanford, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Orlando. “She had basically no chance of surviving in the wild with such a severe injury,” the park said in a social media post.

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