South Central

South Central

The first thing you need to know about Florida’s South Central region is this: it’s land-locked. You will find no sandy ocean coastline here, which is exactly why this could be a perfect place to site your business. Everything you need to prosper and grow workwise is within a 100-mile radius: seven deep-water seaports; eight international and two regional airports; nine municipal airparks; three railroads; three interstate highways, plus Florida’s Turnpike; and a system of navigable rivers and canals linking Florida’s east and west coasts through Lake Okeechobee. And while you won’t have an ocean to look at every day, you will have wide-open spaces and reasonable costs. And, hey, you can still enjoy beaches — hundreds of them in fact — within an easy drive.

Logistics & Transportation

Florida’s South Central region is ideally situated to facilitate the distribution of supplies. In addition to interstate highways, this region boasts four U.S. highways and 12 state roads as well as ready rail cargo capabilities via CSX and South Central Florida Express.

At Sebring Regional Airport in Highlands County, a new hangar complex is beginning to take shape, along with a 1,776-foot extension to Runway 01-10 to accommodate existing and future airport operations. And recently completed: new rail between the CSX mainline and Sebring Airport’s rail yard feeding into Sebring’s industrial park to support airport tenants and other businesses in the area. Sebring Regional, by the way, is a designated Foreign Trade Zone.

Airglades International Airport in Clewiston is gearing up to develop a new, state-of-the-art perishable cargo airport and full-service logistics center. The new facility, to be located in Hendry County, will boast a 10,000-foot runway and provide services for international perishable importers and domestic growers under one roof. In 2020, Airglades Airport was designated a U.S. Customs Port of Entry Inspection Facility.

KEY PLAYERS: Bernie Little Distributors, Sebring; Walmart Distribution Center, Arcadia

Tags: Business Florida