Amazon might build on big chunk of county land
Amazon, the online retailer that has rapidly expanded across South Florida, just got a new chance to take over the largest chunk of undeveloped land owned by Broward County.
Broward County commissioners voted to declare an immediate impasse Tuesday in negotiations with a company chosen to build on 61 acres near U.S. 27 and Sheridan Street near Pembroke Pines. Now, the county will negotiate with Amazon, its No. 2 choice.
It had been Amazon’s idea to build on the site in the first place, which would be one of its more massive projects.
The e-commerce giant told county leaders that it would create 500 new jobs at a distribution warehouse and “this facility would actually support our entire delivery network throughout North America.
“This particular facility that we’re considering would house household and consumer goods. Those Amazon.com orders would originate in this facility.”
Last May, it made an unsolicited proposal to build, and then the county opened the process to accept other applications. But Amazon didn’t win the deal.
Last fall, the majority of Broward’s nine commissioners voted for Vital Pharmaceuticals, which makes Bang Energy drinks. Vital Pharmaceuticals had proposed a new corporate headquarters and manufacturing and distributing plant on the acreage.
The company, which goes by the name Bang Energy, told the county its annual employee median salary level would be $62,400 — which was far higher than Amazon’s salary of $31,200.
But the deal with Bang Energy had started to deteriorate and commissioners complained it was taking too long.
Among the problems cited by the county about changes in the deal:
▪ In its proposal and presentation to the county, Bang Energy said construction would be completed within 660 days, but now says that it would only complete one phase of a multi-phase process in 660 days, and the project would not be completed for 3 to 4 years.
▪ Representatives from Bang Energy said its current median annual wage was about $62,000 but later corrected that to $45,760.
▪ In its proposal to the county, they proposed a rent of $2.4 million a year. Now the company wants “to revisit the precise amount of rent to be paid after being able to access the land” as well as a three-year rent abatement and an increase of rent between years four and 10 before paying the total rent, according to a county memo.
“This is a time to move on,” said Commissioner Barbara Sharief.
“They did not negotiate in good faith,” said Commissioner Lamar Fisher of Bang Energy. “Literally everything they proposed they aren’t willing to do. Enough is
enough.”
He said he didn’t know if Amazon still was even interested in that deal, but “I surely hope they still do.”
Owen Torres, Amazon spokesman, declined to say whether they’re still interested in the Broward site.
“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, however, we have a policy of not commenting on our future roadmap,” he said.
Amazon is on a South Florida building spree. Last month it revealed plans to open four more delivery stations for speedier deliveries, the latest stations opening in Fort Lauderdale, Miramar, Homestead and Kendall.
And it will be opening another delivery station at an existing 269,000-square-foot warehouse in Pembroke Park, which is under renovation now within the town’s industrial park district.
Other Amazon centers under construction include a 1-million-square-foot facility west of Jupiter. Two warehouses in western Pompano Beach are being converted into a delivery station. Two fulfillment centers are under construction in Homestead and western Palm Beach County.
Amazon also is seeking to build a distribution site in the Village of Golf, which is south of Boynton Beach, and wants to install one of its massive fulfillment centers in western Sunrise with 1,000 full-time staffers.
In other Broward news Tuesday, the county:
Presented the Medal of Valor to the family of Gary Cappellucci, who died on New Year’s Day as he attempted to save the lives of three children and numerous adults who were swept away and drowning in dangerous rip currents on Pompano Beach.
Gave another Good Samaritan, Saul Trujillo, the Medal of Valor for assisting in the same rescue. He saved a child and several adults, strategically using an inner tube that he attached to his surfboard.