Today, Hillsborough County Commissioners approved measures that would provide financial incentives amounting to $225,000 to Amazon in order to lure the retail giant to build a 1-million-square-foot warehouse in Ruskin. The warehouse would employ at least 1,000 people, including 375 higher-wage jobs expected to draw average salaries of $47,581.
Next month the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners will vote on a second part of the deal that would grant Amazon a 50 percent break on annual property tax payments for its first seven years.
"This is a grand slam for Hillsborough County," said Commission chair Ken Hagan, who attributed tax incentives as a major reason to why Texas leads the nation in jobs and Louisiana has been doing so well with film productions.
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2013.