Publix Super Markets is planning to expand its IT Department to downtown Lakeland by purchasing and upgrading the FedEx building and adding an estimated 100 new jobs in three years, according to documents.
Publix is seeking $500,000 in local government incentives for the project and a partial exemption on ad valorem taxes related to its improvements on the property.
City of Lakeland Commissioners was so tight-lipped about the identity of the company on Friday when city commissioners were briefed on the incentives at their agenda study meeting.
On Monday, City Commissioners will be asked to approve $250,000 in incentives that would not be paid until Publix documents that it has hired 100 new employees for the facility at an average salary of $93,526 a year, which is twice the current Polk County average.
The project has been dubbed Project Horizon by Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership that works on business expansion statewide. The organization often uses code names because many of its projects involve confidential negotiations.
Lakeland Gazette reported Saturday that Project Horizon involves an unidentified company looking at an unnamed building in downtown Lakeland where it plans to invest $50 million.
The confidentiality mentioned in the article surprised most of the Polk County Commissioners including Bill Braswell because the nature of the deal was discussed openly last Tuesday when the County Commission approved its share of $250,000 plus partial exemption on ad valorem taxes
A document presented to the Polk County Commission on Tuesday identifies Project Horizon as Publix’s “IT expansion.”
The Polk County Bonus Incentive program allows incentives to enterprises that are new to Polk or ones making major expansions.
Publix also requested a 10-year exemption on 75% of the ad valorem taxes that would be paid on the assessed value of its improvements to the facility at 333 E. Lemon Street; it also requested exemption of qualifying tangible personal property taxes. The exemption is allowed under a referendum for business-expansion referendum passed by Polk voters in 2012.
The ad valorem tax exemptions are estimated to cost the county $183,011 per year in lost revenue for 10 years. In all, the county government is losing $3,522,845 in revenue this year due to business-expansion tax exemptions.
Lakeland City Commissioners will consider the Project Horizon incentive request Monday at its 9 a.m. meeting at City Hall, 228 S. Massachusetts Ave.