Northeast: Opportunity Epicenter

NASSAU COUNTY

Paradise found: Located in the extreme northeast corner of Florida, Nassau County is a unique blend of rural wooded areas to the west and wide-open beaches to the east. The quaint port town of Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island is home to a modern shrimping industry as well as a 50-block downtown district that is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Road improvements: Work began in August 2009 to improve a 6-mile stretch of A1A in Nassau County between Griffin and Stratton Roads. Fully funded with federal stimulus dollars, the $26.2-million project includes construction of two new bridges and widening of the beachside road from two to four lanes. Slated completion date: late 2011.

Zoning for growth: The Nassau County Commission has given the green light to zoning changes on two large tracts of land: 490 acres near Bryceville will change from agricultural to light industrial and commercial; 200 acres in Yulee will change from agricultural to medium- and high-density residential. The changes, officials say, are needed to accommodate the growing commercial activity that is expected to result from increased traffic at the Port of Jacksonville.

BAKER COUNTY

Preparing to grow: Rural Baker County is on the verge of explosive growth as it moves ahead with two planned industrial parks. Combined, the parks will offer 16 million square feet with prime access to Interstate 10 — the region’s primary east-west artery — and could potentially pump millions of dollars into the local economy. Roberts Land and Timber Company is developing 10 million square feet; Dallas-based Jackson Shaw Development is constructing the 6-million-square-foot site.

CLAY COUNTY

Beltway planned: Northeast Florida’s already solid multimodal transportation system is about to get better with the addition of the First Coast Outer Beltway, a 46.5-mile tollway that will connect Interstates 10 and 95, with a second perimeter ring around Clay, St. Johns and Duval counties. A total of 13 new interchanges will provide easier access and open up new development opportunities in the area.

Pipeline under construction: SeaCoast Gas Transmission LLC, a subsidiary of TECO Energy, is constructing a 50-mile, high-volume intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline that will traverse Clay County. Ultimately, the pipeline will tie into the terminus of the Cypress pipeline in northeast Clay County and will cross the St. Johns River in the Green Cove Springs area.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY

Thriving defense sector: Defense contractor Northrop Grumman, the largest employer in St. Johns County, was awarded a $432-million contract in June 2009 for initial production of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft for the U.S. Navy. Up to 70 aircraft will be produced at Northrop Grumman’s 208-acre site, which includes 30 buildings with eight high bay hangars. Combined, the buildings feature 512,024 square feet of manufacturing space and 58,996 square feet of warehouse space.

Job growth leader: CNNMoney.com put St. Johns County in the No. 12 spot on its 2009 list of hottest job growth markets in the U.S. Between 2000 and 2008, the number of jobs in St. Johns grew by 56%. CNNMoney.com cites the county’s business-friendly fee structure and top-rated school district as reasons for the growth.

FLAGLER COUNTY

Incentives produce investment: More than 1,000 Flagler County workers could have lost their jobs this year when AMREP Corporation announced plans to unify two subsidiaries specializing in magazine, membership and direct mail fulfillment services into one company, in one location. Flagler-based Palm Coast Data was one of those subsidiaries, so local officials wasted no time mounting an effort to convince AMREP to stay — and expand — in Palm Coast. They put together an incentives package worth $10.7 million and, as a result, not only did Flagler avert the loss of 1,000 existing jobs, an additional 700 jobs are guaranteed over the next three years.

Key to this crucial deal was finding space large enough to accommodate the growing company. A former warehouse on the same street as Palm Coast Data’s existing facility turned out to be the only option. City officials and staff readily agreed to vacate their offices so Palm Coast Data could move in.

The combination of local and state incentives, plus the company’s own $20-million capital investment in the building, could represent up to $174.6 million annually in direct and indirect economic output throughout Flagler County over the next three years, and about $123.8 million annually thereafter.

More jobs coming: Another 250 jobs will become available in Bunnell over the next two years thanks to a decision by National Direct Response (NDR) Corporation to expand its staff and narrow its focus on healthcare. The call center expects to hire 60 new workers in 2010 and another 190 by 2011. The Flagler County Commission approved $80,000 in incentives for NDR to assist with the expansion.

Tags: Northeast, Business Florida