Amazon's proposed 1.4 million square foot warehouse and distribution center in Deltona got approval for a $2.5 million tax break Thursday.
The city of Deltona passed the incentive deal, which could be worth as much as a $3 million property tax saving for Amazon. The actual company behind what was called Project Normandy was secret until Amazon and the city announced it at Thursday's meeting.
Amazon is expected to spend $100 million dollars to build and outfit the warehouse, which will package and ship large items, like kayaks and bicycles.
In return, Amazon has promised to hire 500 full-time workers at a minimum pay of $15 an hour, with benefits starting immediately. Amazon said it has more than 13,500 employees in Florida now in Orlando, Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville.
“We’re excited to continue our investment in Florida and further expand our presence in the state with this new fulfillment center in Deltona,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, in a statement on Amazon's website. “Since 2013, Amazon has invested more than $5 billion in Florida through local fulfillment centers and cloud infrastructure, research facilities, and compensation to thousands of employees in the state.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis applauded the deal on Twitter.
Deltona Mayor Heidi Herzberg thanked the public-private economic development group known as Team Volusia for getting the deal done. She said the project will be a game changer for the city.
“Team Volusia has been working a long, long time -- many many years -- to try to bring this client to Volusia County," Hersberg said before the city finalized the tax break. "And for the city of Deltona, this is an amazing asset. Any economic development is good for us, but this is a game changer.”
Amazon has come under criticism for its tax breaks, particularly after cities competed for its new headquarters in early 2019. More recently, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has criticized Amazon for its tax breaks. Amazon and its owner Jeff Bezos are frequent targets for President Donald Trump at rallies and on Twitter.
