Amazon.com, Inc. announced plans for a new fulfillment center in Miami.
Foundry Commercial and Clarion Partners, LLC completed a lease with Amazon at Carrie Meek International Business Park, a speculative industrial project at the Opa-locka Airport in Miami-Dade County.
The more than 800,000-square-foot fulfillment center will create over 1,000 full-time jobs with benefits and opportunities to engage with Amazon Robotics in a highly technological workplace.
“Florida has been a bright spot for Amazon operations with its dedicated and talented workforce who have found great, full-time opportunities with us,” said Akash Chauhan, Amazon’s vice president of North America Operations. “This new fulfillment center will join a sortation center and Prime Now hub in the area and we look forward to deepening our ties in the Miami-Dade community.”
Amazon has created more than 4,000 full-time jobs in Florida since first entering the state in 2013. Two new fulfillment centers were recently announced in Jacksonville and with this new facility, the company’s presence will increase to 10 locations, including fulfillment and sortation centers and Prime Now hubs. The new fulfillment center will bring Amazon’s workforce in the Sunshine State to more than 7,500.
Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud that Amazon has committed to continue investing and creating opportunities across Florida. This facility will create thousands of new jobs and is great news for families in Opa-locka. This announcement is further evidence of the important role of Enterprise Florida and local economic development agencies, and I look forward to seeing Amazon’s ongoing success throughout our state.”
“Miami-Dade County is happy to welcome Amazon’s more than 800,000-square-foot fulfillment center to our world-class community with the opening of the new fulfillment center at Opa-locka Executive Airport,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “This high-tech project will bring 1,000 full-time jobs to our residents, and serves as further evidence that Miami-Dade is a community where major companies want to grow, invest and do business.”
“I’m excited that we can share with the public the amazing news of Amazon coming to District One at the Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport,” said County Commissioner Barbra Jordan. “The development means thousands of jobs for the area and significant community benefits, spearheaded by the Carrie Meek Foundation. It’s been my pleasure to be involved in a process which will change the face and economic progress of our community and I’d like to thank all the characters involved over the past several years that helped make the Amazon deal possible.”
The new Amazon fulfillment center will be located at Curtis Street & NW 42nd Avenue in Opa-Locka.
The Carrie Meek Foundation and Foundry Commercial started working together in 2010, when the two entities came together over a shared vision for creating a stronger South Florida community. Carrie Meek International Business Park is the first public/private partnership of its kind in South Florida, as it will not only strive to create thousands of jobs in the area through the development itself, but will also prepare and assist area residents to take advantage of the new jobs through training provided by The Carrie Meek Foundation.
“The Carrie Meek International Business Park is a unique and special development for all of Miami-Dade County that started as a vision on the part of former U.S. Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek and is now a dream realized,” said Pryse Elam, principal and president of development and investment at Foundry Commercial. “Working collaboratively, Foundry, the Carrie Meek Foundation and Mayor Gimenez’s office have developed one of the largest job creating projects in the history of Miami-Dade County, and we are so honored to be a part of this partnership.”
Employees at the fulfillment center will pick, pack and ship small items to customers such as books, electronics and toys. The facility will feature innovative technology such as Amazon Robotics that will assist employees in fulfilling customer orders.
“Growing and diversifying our economy through job creation is our mission at Enterprise Florida, and we are proud to work with great American companies like Amazon as they expand right here in Florida. It is exciting to see more than 1,000 new-to-Florida jobs create opportunities for Florida families in Opa-locka,” said Chris Hart IV, President and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc.
“We are pleased to continue to assist Amazon in bringing a significant amount of jobs to an underserved area in our community. This is our third and largest project with them,” said Miami-Dade Beacon Council President and CEO Michael A. Finney. “Amazon’s decision to add this new fulfillment center illustrates Miami-Dade’s strategic location as a global business hub.”
Full-time employees at Amazon receive competitive hourly wages and a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare, 401(k) and company stock awards starting on day one. Amazon also offers regular full-time employees maternity and parental leave benefits and access to innovative programs like Career Choice, where it will pre-pay up to 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. Since the program’s launch, over 9,000 employees have pursued degrees in game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology, to name a few.
Larry W. Genet is a Senior Vice President in the CBRE, Inc. Miami, FL office. As part of the CBRE platform Mr. Genet can provide a wide range of services from local to Fortune 1000 clients including agency and tenant representation, asset or portfolio management, high level logistics, labor and data analytics prior to site selection, project/construction management, capital markets, owner user sales and valuation advisory services. CBRE is the global leader for real estate services worldwide.
Larry has extensive experience in landlord agency, tenant representation, acquisitions, dispositions and property management. As a third-generation commercial real estate professional and South Florida native, Larry boasts deep community ties, an intimate knowledge of the South Florida market and numerous professional contacts. Larry’s leasing expertise of industrial, office, land, retail and medical properties coupled with his experience in acquisitions and dispositions gives him the ability to represent a myriad of clients in the South Florida market. Additionally, Larry controls a portfolio of 13.5 million square feet allowing him to see every deal in the market. This ensures his clients never miss an opportunity. His knowledge of tenants and buyers in the market is top notch and when coupled with his team's vast portfolio, it's a winning combination.
