Central Florida Development to build second speculative building in Plant City

July 1, 2015

Plant City, Fla. – (July 1, 2015) – Central Florida Development (CFD), a full service real estate development and property management company, today announced plans for the construction of a second 100,000 square foot speculative building in County Line Commerce Center. The facility will have 30’ clear heights, a 195’ truck court, and abundant parking, making it ideal for manufacturing, distribution, and office operations. CFD’s first 100,000 square foot facility in County Line Commerce Center, which will be completed in July, is already 75% leased.
 
“We’re excited to begin construction of another speculative project in Plant City,” said Richard LeFrois, Central Florida Development President. “The city’s pro-business attitude and great location have helped drive our success in leasing our first building. We are confident the momentum will continue and are already seeing significant interest in the next building, as well as interest in our other business parks along I-4.”
Construction on the new building is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by January 2016.
 
“The incredible demand we’re seeing for new industrial development in Plant City is the direct result of our efforts to make it even easier for manufacturing, logistics, and distribution operations to take advantage of our ideal location and find the workforce, facilities and business assistance they need to get up and running quickly,” said Plant City Mayor Rick Lott. “The speed with which Central Florida Development has been able to build the first spec building and move forward with the second shows how quickly we and our partners at the Tampa Hillsborough EDC and CareerSource Tampa Bay can respond to meet business needs and keep up with fast growth.”
 
The two spec buildings at County Line Commerce Center are the first to be built in Plant City in many years. The development, located a half mile south of Interstate 4 at the intersection of County Line Road and Highway 92 in eastern Hillsborough County, also includes plans for two retail/restaurant sites that will fill a void in the County Line Road corridor and provide jobs, shopping and entertainment options for people who live and work in Plant City.
 
“County Line Road continues to be the hottest corridor for warehouse distribution and office expansion in Central Florida,” said Mike Herr, City Manager, Plant City. “The newest project announced by Rich Lefrois demonstrates that Plant City is the right place to be because we have strategic location, a good labor market and a very business-friendly culture in our city government. Every successful project needs a champion, and right now Central Florida Development is a huge private sector partner in our community.”
 
Plant City’s close proximity to Tampa and Orlando made the County Line Commerce Center an ideal spot for healthy prepared meal retailer FitLife Foods to build its Culinary Center Operations. In his company’s May 2015 announcement about the expansion, David Osterweil, FitLife Foods founder and CEO, cited Plant City’s central location, available workforce, and sales tax exemptions on machinery and equipment for manufacturing companies as three key reasons supporting his decision to choose Plant City.
 
“This is an historic time for Plant City and eastern Hillsborough County,” said the Hon. Sandy Murman, Chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. “The fact that Central Florida Development has managed to lease three quarters of a 100,000 square foot speculative building in less than six months is a clear indicator that manufacturing and distribution firms are flocking to this market. This is great news for our local families and for businesses seeking a perfect location for expansion and relocation in Central Florida.”
 
Central Florida Development already has its sights set on an even bigger project in eastern Hillsborough County. “We are moving forward with planning our next development in Plant City: Central Florida Commerce Center, a 72-acre business park that will accommodate buildings of up to 1.6 million square feet,” said Le Frois. “We are proud to partner with the City of Plant City and the Tampa Hillsborough EDC in bringing more quality jobs to the community.”
 
“The Tampa Hillsborough EDC’s strong partnership with the City of Plant City and the dedicated resources we’ve committed to identifying new opportunities for the attraction, expansion, and retention of jobs there continues to yield impressive results,” said Dr. Ronald Vaughn, Chair of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and President of the University of Tampa. “We couldn’t be happier with the success of these collaborative efforts. Plant City’s transformation is just beginning, and its economic future is looking better than ever.”
 
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About Central Florida Development
Central Florida Development (CFD) is a full service real estate development and property management company, acquiring and developing industrial and office buildings while also serving as the General Contractor. CFD also serves as its own property manager, and complements its in-house leasing expertise with third-party broker representation, creating a unique ‘single point of contact’ for its customers.
For more information, visit centralfloridadev.com.
 
Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation is the lead economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace. Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC works to develop and sustain a thriving local economy through the attraction, retention and expansion of high wage jobs and capital investment within targeted industry sectors.
 
The EDC exists because of the generous support of nearly 100 corporations, the Board of County Commissioners of Hillsborough County, and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. To learn more, visit tampabayedc.com.
 
Hillsborough County, Florida is the commercial and industrial heart of Tampa Bay. The fourth largest county in the state of Florida, Hillsborough is home to nearly 1.3 million residents, with thousands more arriving each year. Its strength is drawn from being one of the most advanced economies and having one of the most educated workforces in the state. Hillsborough County and its three municipalities –Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace — offer a competitive business environment and an abundance of regional assets including Port Tampa Bay, Tampa International Airport, and MacDill Air Force Base. County government is focused on creating economic prosperity for residents and businesses throughout the area. To learn more, visit hillsboroughcounty.org.