Southeastern Florida counties are looking to compete to become the home of a second headquarters of Internet giant Amazon, which will invest $ 5 billion in its new site.
Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach are “the eighth largest metropolitan area in the nation,” Michael Udine’s commissioner said in a letter to Amazon president Jeffrey Bezos.
Amazon, based in the city of Seattle, Washington, is seeking offers to install a second plant, in which it plans to hire about 50,000 employees.
“The region has a combined population of nearly 6 million, with 60% of our population at work ages,” said Udine, one of Broward County commissioners.
He said that southeast Florida, in addition to access to three international airports and the Everglades Port, has a “highly qualified” workforce, with about 80,000 information and communication services workers.
In the same vein, Kelly Smallridge, director of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach, said that the region has the labor Amazon needs.
“You can have the most beautiful site, but if you do not have the ability to produce the labor you need, you do not have a chance,” Smallridge said, according to the Palm Beach Post.
He further noted that the three counties are planning to run as a region.
Amazon, which is accepting bids until the end of October, will make a decision next year.
Bezos founded Amazon in a garage in Seattle in 1994 and started selling books online, but diversified its offer to include movies, music, food or furniture, to become the world’s largest provider of online services.
