This morning Amazon confirmed its plans for a second fulfillment center in Jacksonville, announcing in a news release that the facility will add more than 1,000 full-times jobs.
As the Times-Union has previously reported, the second fulfillment center, which is going into the Cecil Commerce Center on the Westside, will bring Amazon’s announced footprint in Jacksonville to approximately 2,500 jobs.
In an announcement made just after midnight, Akash Chauhan, Amazon’s vice president of North American operations, said, “Florida has been an ideal location to help enable superfast shipping speeds to customers and a source of exceptional talent for Amazon.”
At the new 1-million-square-foot fulfillment center in Jacksonville, employees will pick, pack and ship large items like household decor, sporting equipment and gardening tools.
The first fulfillment center, which has been under construction on the Northside, is expected to open late this year.
The Cecil Commerce Center facility, on 86 acres at 13333 103rd St., had been known only as Project Velo before plans filed with the city in November indicated that it was, in fact, a second Amazon location. The online retail giant had confirmed in July that would open its first fulfillment center in the area on Pecan Park Road, employing 1,500 people.
About 500 of those jobs are expected to average $50,000 a year with the rest in the $12-$15-an-hour range.
Earlier reports on the second center put the employment there at 1,200, but Amazon’s Wednesday announced simply said it would hire more than 1,000 people there.
“Amazon.com has been one of Florida’s best job creators since they announced their first project three years ago,” said Mike Grissom, executive vice president of Enterprise Florida, Inc. “Since that first announcement, the company has created thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investments across the state. This most recent project in Jacksonville is another great win for Florida and we thank Amazon for their continued investment and job creation.”
“This is an exciting development for Jacksonville and the Cecil Commerce Center,” said Mayor Lenny Curry, in the news release. “The center is a tremendous asset for our city offering companies like Amazon ample space, resources and accessibility. In addition to the state-of-the art fulfillment and distribution center to be located in northwest Jacksonville, I am looking forward to Amazon’s expanding presence in our city and contributions to its continued economic development and growth.”
During the past three years, Amazon has announced multiple facilities in Florida including four fulfillment centers, two sortation centers as well as Prime Now hubs in Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
Those interested in applying for upcoming positions at the two fulfillment centers that are in development can visit www.amazondelivers.jobs.
