By: Kate Kimmel
Plans for a large industrial park in rural Nassau County were unveiled Monday night after the county was awarded $6.25 million in state grant funds last week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
At the County Commission’s Monday meeting, Economic Resources Manager Kathy Freyman presented site plans and details for what is currently called the Nassau Southwest Industrial Park, a proposed development roughly three miles west of Bryceville near the U.S. 301 and Interstate 10 interchange.
The project would include more than 6.3 million square feet of industrial and commercial space and is anticipated to create about 1,250 jobs within its first 10 years, with the potential to reach about 4,700 jobs after full buildout.
The development would be supported by a new roadway network funded in part by the state grant. The project is projected to cost $8.4 million and will be financed through a public-private partnership using the $6.25 million grant along with a $2.2 million contribution from the developer.
The funding will be used to design, engineer and construct a four-lane roadway that will open access to the industrial and commercial site, Freyman said.
The property, owned by The Roberts Companies, is bisected by the Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad and bordered by U.S. 90 to the north and Interstate 10 to the south. Site plans presented Monday show three high-cube warehouses, one distribution center, three light industrial buildings and a 7.5-acre commercial outparcel along U.S. 90.
The plans were designed by Jacksonville-based engineering and development consulting firm England-Thims & Miller. The company has worked on several large logistics and distribution facilities, including two warehouses for Amazon, a vehicle processing facility for Toyota and a distribution center for Bridgestone and Firestone.
The industrial park announcement follows a press conference Thursday in which DeSantis awarded Nassau County the $6.25 million Rural Infrastructure Fund grant and designated the county as a rural area of opportunity.
The designation places Nassau County alongside 14 other counties in North Central Florida and allows businesses locating in the area to qualify for the Rural Job Tax Credit Program.
Under the program, companies can receive tax credits of up to $1,500 per employee — capped at $500,000 per year — which can be applied against Florida corporate income tax or state sales and use tax.
Freyman said the incentives are expected to help Nassau compete with neighboring counties such as Duval County and St. Johns County for industrial development.
County officials say the project is also intended to address a longstanding issue in the local workforce: many residents commute outside the county for jobs.
According to the Nassau County 2030 Comprehensive Plan’s Economic Development Element, about 46% of the county’s employed workforce commutes outside Nassau for work. Approximately 38% travel south to employment centers in the Jacksonville metropolitan area, including Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties.
Freyman said the new industrial park and the rural area of opportunity designation could help bring jobs closer to home for many residents while strengthening the county’s tax base, adding that expanding commercial development could help diversify county revenues beyond property taxes.
Freyman said the jobs created by the development could also appeal to recent high school graduates, noting the county is working with Florida State College at Jacksonville and trade schools to help build a workforce pipeline.
Commission Chair Allyson McCullough said the project could help residents “work, live and play” in Nassau County.
“You don’t want people to be forced to leave where they grew up because there’s no opportunity for work,” DeSantis said during Thursday’s announcement.
County Manager Taco Pope said a groundbreaking date has not yet been set, but officials are working with the property owner to move the project forward.
If built as planned, the industrial park could help address one of Nassau County’s longstanding economic challenges: nearly half of its workforce leaves the county each day for jobs elsewhere.
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