PORT ST. LUCIE — A 160,000-square-foot distribution facility could soon be coming to the Southern Grove jobs corridor, but this one could be different from others in the area: It also includes the unnamed company's corporate headquarters.
In separate votes this week, the City Council and St. Lucie County Commission approved tax breaks for the company, identified by the county Economic Development Council only as "an industry-leading grocery retail and food-service wholesale-and-distribution company."
The company wants to relocate its distribution facility and corporate headquarters from Palm Beach County, EDC Senior Vice President Wes McCurry said. The move would bring 121 jobs over five years, along with a total investment of nearly $33 million, according to the EDC.
The new facility would be located on SW Tom Mackie Blvd.
In exchange, the city agreed to waive all ad valorum taxes for five years, followed by five years of a falling exemption, from 90%, to 80%, to 60%, to 40%, to 20%. After 10 years, the company would pay the full rate. The city also agreed to mobility- and impact-fee mitigation and expedited approvals and permitting.
The county agreed to the same ad valorum exemptions, along with road impact-fee mitigation and a Job Growth Investment Grant.
Both votes were unanimous. The company would still pay taxes to other taxing districts such as the the school and fire districts.
Though the company was not identified, McCurry did identify its parent company — Hickory, NC-based Alex Lee Inc. Alex Lee acquired Riviera Beach-based Import Mex Distributors last year, according to a news release on the company's website . Import Mex, an importer and distributor of Mexican and Latin American food products, fits the description given by EDC. However, McCurry would not confirm or deny it is the company involved.
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Though he voted yes, City Councilman David Pickett voiced some desire to revisit the process for approving tax breaks to economic-development projects.
"In a future workshop I'd like to have a discussion on economic packages that we offer. I don't want to just blindly offer every company that comes in here. I'm not saying that I'm not pro-business, because I am, but I don't want to offer every company that comes in here 100% tax abatement," Pickett said.
Mayor Shannon Martin noted that there is an existing vetting process to determine what level of incentives a project is eligible for. She said she is open to future discussions on the topic, though.
Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New distribution center, company HQ coming to Southern Grove jobs corridor in Port St. Lucie
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