Two companies seek financial incentives from city for 595 Jacksonville jobs

[thelakelander]

Two companies in very different lines of work â€" administering Medicare contracts and processing meat â€" are seeking several million dollars in financial incentives to create a total of 595 new jobs in Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission will vote Thursday on the proposed development deals, which would go next to the City Council for its vote.

First Coast Service Options would hire 395 people by the end of 2012 if it wins a Medicare administration contract. The city and state would provide up to $3,357,500 in incentives for the jobs at the Blue Cross Blue Shield building on Riverside Avenue near downtown. The state would pay 80 percent and the city the rest.

A Blue Cross and Blue Shield subsidiary, First Coast Service Options employs about 1,080 people at the Riverside Avenue building. The average wage of the new jobs would be $46,859, according to JEDC.

The second development deal would offer $1.2 million to the Bruss Co., a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., to put a meat processing plant at a vacant refrigerated building in Jacksonville. Bruss would hire 200 workers in stages through the end of 2016.

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/business/2011-10-11/story/two-companies-seek-financial-incentives-city-595-jacksonville-jobs

[hillary supporter]

Great stuff! Those financial incentives are actually pretty minimal, very fair.
Great job by JEDC!

[mbwright]

I fail to see why BCBSFL/FCSO needs an incentive.  Also, how long would the contract last?

[Tacachale]

Sounds solid to me. Good work JEDC.

[JeffreyS]

So they are talking 300 additional jobs on the line where the streetcar would be. Of course the city council waived collecting the funds  for that last night.