LAKELAND, Fla. -- The City of Lakeland approved a ground lease with Amazon.
Documents shows Amazon with build an air cargo operation at Lakeland Linder International Airport.
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Preliminary plans show Amazon will initially lease 47 acres of a 110 acre parcel to support its operations.
Amazon will have the right to expand within the first five years to the additional 62 acres.
According the the ground lease, Amazon plans to build a 223,000 square-foot building along with two additional buildings up to 60,000 square feet combined.
Amazon will be responsible to pay Lakeland Linder International Airport $80,651 per month for the first five years. Rent would increase by 7.5 percent every five years.
The new ground lease requires the airport to make several changes on top of the most recent improvements to to Lakeland Linder International Airport. This includes upgrading Instrument Landing System which will facilitate aircraft operations in bad weather. The airport will have to add five additional fuel tanks in the existing North and South Fuel Farms. Also, Runway 9-27 will be improved.
Not only is the $100 million deal great for the city of Lakeland, its airport but also Bay Area residents.
According to the city, the new air cargo operation could offer up to 1,000 jobs. Of those jobs, 75 would meet the minimum salary requirements for incentives. Amazon would qualify for state, city and county tax incentives which would total about $225,000 over a four-year period.
In recent years, the city, FDOT and the FAA have helped fund improvement to Lakeland Linder International Airport which enabled the airport to be able to market their facility to retailers such Amazon.
When the Scripps station in Tampa WFTS asked what other retailers may be coming to Lakeland Linder International Airport, the city says they have had conversations with other companies but would not divulge which ones.
