FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 22, 2014
NEARLY 30 JOBS CREATED THANKS TO TWO BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
~Contaminated sites remediated to become location for viable businesses~
JACKSONVILLE – Two contaminated sites in the city of Jacksonville
will soon be remediated and replaced with viable businesses bringing jobs
and contributing to the economy. This is made possible thanks
to collaboration between the city of Jacksonville and the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection. The
city recently executed two resolutions for Brownfields Area Designations that
will enable redevelopment and result in the creation of nearly 30 new full-time
jobs in the department’s Northeast District.
Darrin McKeehen, Northeast District’s brownfields coordinator, has been working closely with Heather Ireland, the city of Jacksonville’s brownfields
coordinator, to facilitate remediation and redevelopment through the Florida
Brownfield Redevelopment Program at Gerdau Ameristeel U.S. and L&M Griffin
Properties #3, LLC (formerly known as Bill Johns Waste Oil).
"We are excited for these new job opportunities that are coming to Jacksonville," said DEP's Northeast District Director Greg Strong. "Not only are these businesses bringing new economic opportunities to the city, but they are also cleaning up contamination and restoring the environmental integrity of the sites. It is a win for Florida's environment and economy."
“I applaud Heather Ireland and the city of Jacksonville
Brownfields Coalition for its continued effort to identify, assess, clean up
and rehabilitate brownfield properties,” said Jacksonville Mayor Alvin
Brown. “The city is grateful to have DEP as a partner as we encourage
job creation and a cleaner environment.”
Gerdau Ameristeel U.S. owns property located at
16770 Rebar Rd. in Jacksonville that has been a steel production
facility since 1976. Gerdau Ameristeel U.S. plans to remediate existing
contamination and rehabilitate the site to accommodate expansion and
streamlining of existing plant operations. The proposed redevelopment project
is anticipated to create approximately 18 new permanent full-time jobs in
melt-shop production operations, as a result of the remediation and
rehabilitation.
Sea Breeze Food Service, Inc., has recently leased
property located at 3744 Keen Rd., from L&M Griffin
Properties #3, LLC, which is contiguous with their existing operations located
at 3807 Edgewood Dr. The Keen Road site was formerly utilized as a used oil
recycling facility known as Bill Johns Waste Oil and is directly adjacent to the
existing Sea Breeze Food Service property. In the late 1990s the United States Environmental Protection Agency initiated a limited source removal action to remediate contaminated soil resulting
from the former operations, and further remediation is needed to complete site
closure. L&M Griffin plans to remediate the existing contamination and
rehabilitate the site to accommodate expansion including warehouse construction
for additional dry storage and refrigeration, as well as truck parking to lease
to Sea Breeze Food Service for their existing operations at 3807 Edgewood
Drive. The proposed redevelopment
project is anticipated to create 10 or more permanent full-time jobs.
Gerdau Ameristeel U.S. and L&M Griffin are in
the process of entering into Brownfields Site Rehabilitation Agreements with the Northeast District and will conduct the required remediation, complete
redevelopment and reuse under the direction of the Northeast District and
become eligible for applicable tax credits through the Florida Brownfield
Redevelopment Program.
Established in 1997, the Florida Brownfield
Redevelopment Program utilizes economic and regulatory incentives to encourage
the use of private revenue to restore and redevelop sites, create new jobs and
boost the local economy. Partners in the
Florida Brownfield Redevelopment Program include local governments, the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Economic
Opportunity and Enterprise Florida, Inc. For more information about the Florida Brownfield Redevelopment Program click here, where you may view the annual report to learn more about this successful program.
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