Amazon to Open 8th Florida Distribution Center

8706 Harney Road. Image courtesy of Amazon

Amazon is planning to open its eighth facility in Florida, a 600,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Temple Terrace. The project is expected to bring 750 full-time jobs to the Tampa Bay area upon completion in 2021.

READ ALSO: Amazon Adds El Paso to Fulfillment Center Lineup

An Amazon spokesperson told Commercial Property Executive that the company will own the upcoming facility at 8706 Harney Road. Many jobs will be shipping-related, but Amazon will also hire employees for its human resources, operations management, safety, security, finance and information technology departments.

8706 Harney Road. Image courtesy of Amazon

The company spokesperson also told CPE that Amazon’s Temple Terrace facility is responding to customer demand, ensuring that the company’s fulfillment centers are close to its customers for Prime service and fast shipping. The Amazon fulfillment center will also have nearby access to Interstates 4 and 75 and Route 301, while being near the Tampa Executive Airport and the City of Tampa.

“We also strategically look for locations that provide robust public infrastructure, a strong dedicated workforce and great local support and we’ve found all of those factors in Temple Terrace, Fla.,” the Amazon spokesperson told CPE.

Back-to-back building plans

Roughly 12 miles away, Amazon also has plans for a new delivery station in Lutz, Fla., that will similarly open in 2021. The Lutz facility will be used to speed up Amazon’s last-mile delivery network for the surrounding Pasco County.

Besides the recently announced locations in Temple Terrace and Lutz, Amazon currently has seven other fulfillment and sortation centers across Florida, in Jacksonville, Davenport, Orlando, Miami, Ruskin and Lakeland.

A company spokesperson told CPE that Amazon does not comment on future developments. However, in recent months, Amazon has announced plans for an 855,000-square-foot distribution center in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. and another 625,000-square-foot facility in El Paso, Texas, while also signing a 307,840-square-foot lease for a sortation center in Kyle, Texas.

“Amazon is a dynamic business and we are constantly exploring new locations and weighing a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve customers,” the Amazon spokesperson told CPE. “This new fulfillment center in Temple Terrace, Fla., provides us with the flexibility to quickly respond to our future network needs.”