Amazon Robotics Sorting Facility Shows Success Of Pasco Ready Sites Program

PASCO COUNTY, FL — Bringing with it 500 well-paying jobs plus robotics technology training for high school students, Amazon plans to build a $150 million, 517,220-square-foot robotics sorting center in Pasco County.

Bill Cronin, president and CEO of the Pasco County Economic Development Council, announced the news to Pasco County commissioners, adding, "This is not your typical sorting facility. This is the good stuff, folks. This is a robotics center."

Cronin said Amazon's decision to put the Amazon Robotic Sortation Center in Pasco County was based on the positive experience the global online shopping company had dealing with county staff when developing plans for its $40 million, 110,000-square-foot delivery station on the northeast corner of State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway in Land O' Lakes in 2020.

Completed in 2021, the Lutz delivery station is among more than 150 delivery stations in the United States that "power Amazon's last-mile delivery capabilities," speeding up the time it takes for customers to receive packages.

Cronin said the company was also attracted by the road improvements Pasco County has made including the recently completed Ridge Road extension that provides easy access to the Suncoast Parkway and Interstate 75 corridor, which is about 2 miles away.

While the salaries at the delivery station start at $15 an hour and include health benefits and a matching 401K, Cronin said the Amazon Robotic Sortation Center will provide higher-paying, more specialized jobs to operate the center's extensive robotics system.

Additionally, Amazon plans to provide robotics training to students at the Wendell Krinn Technical High School in New Port Richey, a magnet school for students interested in careers in engineering, technology and manufacturing.

Amazon has purchased a "ready site" in the 127-acre Eagle Industrial Park at State Road 52 and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

The Pasco Ready Sites Program assesses, evaluates and certifies large tracts of land for industrial development, so they're ready to be developed by the company purchasing them, saving the company time and money.

The ready sites feature online marketing tools such as a property video with drone imagery, an interactive site map showing all available utilities — electric, water, reclaimed water and wastewater — as well a property flyer showing drive-time and transportation data.

“Given Eagle Industrial Park’s location and the availability of a quality workforce in the region, Pasco County was a natural fit for Amazon’s new sort center,” said Sam Blatt, economic development manager for Amazon. “It’s been a pleasure working with the Pasco County staff and the team at the Pasco EDC.”

“This is a unique facility supporting a lot of technology and robotics,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley. “I am thrilled to have such a cutting-edge facility join the evolving SR 52 and I-75 corridor.”

The new facility, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year with an opening in February 2023, will feature line-haul trucks which will use the Interstate 75 corridor to take shipments across the Southeast.

The most unique feature will be the approximately 180,000-square-foot mezzanine supporting the 100 percent robotic-based sorting system, said Blatt.

Instead of replacing workers, other Amazon robotics centers have found a need to hire more people to sustain the increased productivity levels, he said.

As such, Amazon has created new roles within its sorting centers for managing the robots. The specialists receive on-the-job training to learn how the robots work, how they're programmed and how they read and navigate the center floor.

Cronin said the ready sites program is paying off in a big way.

Funded by the Pennies for Pasco government infrastructure surtax approved by voters in 2004, the program has created a portfolio of project-ready sites for targeted industries.

“This is such a great win for the county in terms of investment and jobs, and we couldn’t be happier that they chose a site from our ready sites program,” said Cronin. “The ready sites program was created to help big projects like this close and locate quickly, and that’s exactly what they are doing.”

Cronin said there are 2,700 acres of property in the ready-site program in Pasco County.

Another three projects in the works represent a $162.7 million capital investment for the county, he said, including the new Moffitt Cancer Center facility under construction on 775 acres off the Suncoast Parkway. The 16-million-square-foot facility will bring 14,500 jobs to Pasco County.

With the current housing shortage in Tampa Bay and more people expected to relocate to the area, County Commissioner Mike Moore wanted to know what the county can do to ensure that these properties continue to be designated for industrial and office uses and not be developed for housing, especially along the desirable State Road 52/54 corridors.

He said office space is especially difficult to come by in Tampa Bay right now.

"As these businesses grow, they can't always work from home anymore," Moore said. "What can we do as a team to increase that office space by having either ready sites or speculative properties so people don't have to go outside the area to find office space?"

Cronin agreed. Despite the tight housing markets, he said, "We should not trade our employment center entitlements for housing. We need the jobs there first."

Currently, Pasco County's percentage of jobs created outpaces the number of homes being built, said Cronin, eliminating the need for residents to commute outside the county for jobs.

"About 50 percent of our people are going to Hillsborough County for their jobs, and we want to keep them here," Moore said.

Cronin said county staff plans to do a study to identify additional property for office and industrial use. He said speculative office space is a risk for investors, so staff is looking for ways to use Pennies for Pasco funds to lower that risk.

See related stories:

• It's A Done Deal; Moffitt Cancer Center Is Coming To Pasco County
• Amazon Opening 2 Delivery Stations, Bringing Hundreds Of Jobs