Zephyrhills OKs Deal For Sysco

By NICOLA M. WHITE The Tampa Tribune

Published: Aug 14, 2007

ZEPHYRHILLS - The contract's been inked - the incentives all spelled out. All that's left is for the company to move here.

Monday night, the city council signed an agreement with Pasco County to offer unprecedented monetary and tax break incentives to Sysco Food Services Corp., the Houston-based giant that wants to build a $60 million facility in Zephyrhills.

The food distributor promises to bring more than 250 jobs; 125 of them would be transferred from existing Sysco facilities. The salaries would average $55,000, and the center would be built off Sixth Avenue in an area city officials are keen to develop.

The company's promises, however, came with a catch. In exchange for creating jobs and adding to the city's property tax rolls, Sysco asked for $5 million in tax breaks and job creation incentives from both the city and the county, which also stands to benefit from the project.

Monday night, after weeks of discussion, the city council voted unanimously to put the final signature on the deal; county commissioners approved it last week.

"I think this is a cornerstone for our industrial park, and it's a big step for us," Mayor Cliff McDuffie said. City officials expect to hear from Sysco soon to see whether the company will move here.

The incentives include $400,000 toward installing a traffic signal and improving Sixth Avenue and Chancey Road; installing water and sewer lines at no cost to Sysco; waiving all impact fees, utility connection charges, plan review fees, inspection fees and all permit fees; and waiving property taxes for five years. The incentives total $5 million.

Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at (813) 779-4613 or nwhite1@tampatrib.com.